Give You Back
by rosesareblue
Summary: After ten years, Sasuke returns to Konoha to fulfill the promise he made with Naruto. But what if Naruto isn't waiting for him anymore? What if Naruto doesn't even remember who Sasuke is? After all, does love really last forever? SasuNaru. HinaNaru.
1. Forgetting

**Disclaimer**: Naruto is drawn and written by a fantastically splendid, wonderfully cute, and very talented manga artist Masashi Kishimoto. (Obviously, I don't own it.) On top of that, I don't own the terrific song, Give You Back by Vertical Horizon, which I listened to over and over while writing this chapter.

**Story Prompt:** After almost ten years, Sasuke returns to Konoha to fulfill the promise he made with Naruto. But what if Naruto isn't waiting for him anymore? What if Naruto moved on - completely? After all, does love really last forever? SasuNaru.

**Chapter One Rating: **PG13 (for language and sexual relationship)

**My E-mail:** rosesareblue at ymail dot com (Write me with any comments or suggestions. Remember, there's nothing like feedback that improves an author's moral/writing)

**Give You Back**

_A SasuNaru Fanfiction_

**by rosesareblue**

_I need to know if you were real _

_'Cause I've been known to get it wrong_

Give You Back by Vertical Horizon

**Chapter One: Forgetting**

The child was absolutely stunning.

He stood, slightly shorter than the boys surrounding him, but there was no way you could possibly overlook him – not even in this large crowd. His glossy blue-black hair was very messy but somehow managed to frame his ivory-white face in all casual elegance. He stood, feet wide apart, shoulders thrown back, with a familiar cocky grin playing on his smooth pink lips. Suddenly, he laughed loudly at something one of his friends said and the feral grin that lingered on his face made denial impossible –

_Everything about him made denial impossible._

The silent watcher took in every heartrending detail and allowed it to relentlessly smash all hope he'd managed clutch on to, so preciously, _so desperately_, all these years. The silky curve of the ivory neck, the strong angle of the chin, the smooth arc of the lithe body, the silly carefree grin, the stupid way that the boy threw his arms about in speech, the healthy grow that radiated from his youthful beauty, the way that the child's booming voice managed to be heard even over the roar of the crowd, how every other sentence ended in an accented '-dattebayo!'

That moment, the Uchiha's intent look attracted the boy's gaze. The child stilled and tilted around to face the raven-haired man. And Sasuke took in a sharp, husky breath.

This last detail confirmed the whole painful truth.

The child was staring at Sasuke with gorgeous, impossibly blue eyes.

_The child was staring at Sasuke with Naruto's eyes._

And Sasuke realized he was too late. Much, much too late.

* * *

"Dad! Dad!" Uzumaki Amoto pounded down the corridors to the Hokage's office. Rounding the corner too quickly, the hardly poised child skidded into the wall. However, the mighty crash that issued did nothing to deter the black haired boy's enthusiasm. Quickly peeling himself from the (cracked) plaster, Amoto bounded for the closed doors when they were suddenly slammed open.

A dark-haired jounin frantically raced out of the room, crying at the top of his lungs in a hysteric manner, "Naruto-sama! Naruto-sama!"

"Konohamaru nii-chan!" Amoto jerked to a stop and his mouth split into a recognizing grin upon seeing his father's unofficial secretary. "I need to talk to dad cos there's this – "

"_I_ need to talk to your father!" Konohamaru roared, the sound nearly knocking the little boy off his feet. "We have an urgent message from the Kazekage and your father – your father – " The young man sank to his knees and all but bawled.

Question marks flashing around his ivory face, Amoto peered in through the thick wooden doors of the Hokage's office. Behind the huge piles of unfinished paperwork on the desk, he could see a blonde scarecrow with an extremely goofy smile painted on wearing the Hokage's hat. On the red and white brim, a sloppily handwritten note was taped on. It read:

Konohamaru –

I'm taking a breather. A short one. (Maybe?)

If anyone asks, just pretend I'm here. Okie?

(I'll bring you back something tasty, I swear!)

– Naruto

Amoto's eyebrow twitched in disbelief as one exasperated phrase echoed loudly in his mind.

"That baka!"

* * *

"Tadaima!"

Amoto called out, kicking off his shoes as he entered the sprawling mansion. The brunette raced down the long hallway into the dining room. As expected, a plate filled with freshly baked cookies along with a cool glass of milk waited for him on the clean table. The first cookie was already in the boy's mouth when the slim woman, wiping her white hands on her apron, walked out of the kitchen to greet her son.

"Okaeri." Hyuuga Hinata smiled at Amoto and, eyeing the untouched glass of milk with amusement, said, "How was your day at the academy?"

Amoto grinned, "Iiien. (Spray of crumbs) Odaa Uorin Tai uotsu…"

Hinata laughed at her son's incomprehensible mumble and lightly ruffled her son's dark hair.

Outwardly, Hinata was no longer the child she used to be: She'd let her black hair grow out and it now fell silkily down her back, nearly to her hips. Her innocent girlishness had matured into an almost heavenly beauty – her large white eyes, flawless ivory skin and long black lashes only added to her already emphasized ethereality. Though she'd born a big healthy boy, her body was unfairly slender and boasted all the luscious curves of a deliciously desirable woman. The fact that Hinata was heartrendingly beautiful coupled with the fact that she was the wife of the most powerful man in Konoha granted her – though the effect was subtle and unintentional – the unquestionable aura of a woman who was untouchable, above and beyond.

But Hinata herself was very much the same as she'd always been. She was still caring, still sweet and still genuinely good-hearted. And above everything else, she was still in love with a certain blonde as much – more than – she'd been when they were twelve. The only person that rivaled the young woman's love for her husband was the child that now sat in front of her, munching on his afternoon snack.

Amoto swallowed his cookie sheepishly. Then, as if he suddenly remembering something of great importance, blurted, "Kaa-san. I saw a strange man today on my way home from the academy."

Hinata blinked. "A strange man?"

"Un!" Amoto reached for another cookie and paused before he bit into it, "He was dressed in a black robe – covering his hair and everything. Su-ooo-per suspicious."

Hinata giggled, knowing very well her son's tendency to over-exaggerate. She pushed the glass of milk a little toward her son, hinting, and asked, "How so?"

Amoto's arm shot past the milk and grabbed another cookie. The boy wrinkled his nose and said. "Well, he was staring at me – in this creepy, _creepy_ way! Maybe he's hentai!"

Hinata pushed the milk closer, a silent appeal to her son to drink the healthy liquid, and nodded to show she was still listening carefully.

Amoto summed it up distractedly, now more interested in the cookies before him than his encounter with the supposed-hentai.

"And, er, he had red eyes – or, I think he does. I coulda sworn it was red when I first saw it, but then it looked black so I can't be sure – "

Suddenly the glass in Hinata's hand shattered in to a million pieces and milk spilled on the table. Amoto jumped up in surprise – Hinata never spilled anything – his eyes widening as he saw red splatters upon the white liquid. Blood was seeping from his mother's hand where the pieced glass had impelled into her delicate flesh.

"Kaa-san! Are ya okay!" Amoto exclaimed worriedly, "I'll get something for yer – "

But Hinata stopped her son from leaping to his feet to retrieve the ointment by grabbing his arm. Amoto stared in stark confusion at the wet, bloody hand that gripped his wrist hard to the startled desperation in the depths of his mother's creamy eyes.

"D-did you tell your father about this?" Hinata asked, her usually soft voice quaking in fear and – could it be? – rage?

"No – " Amoto blinked, a little scared at seeing his calm mother this way, "He wasn't in his office so I couldn't – "

Hinata sighed in relief, releasing her son's arm immediately. She quickly bowed her head away from Amoto's sight and, swiftly pulling out a kitchen towel from her apron, turned arduously to the task of cleaning up the mess.

"Kaa-san?" Amoto started uncertainly, staring at the back of his mother's head.

"I-I'm sorry, Amoto." Hinata's gentle voice was back and along with it her composed disposure. Now, she looked up timidly and offered her son a shaky smile. "But let's not tell father about the strange man you saw, please?"

"Why?" Amoto blurted, taken aback that his mother wanted to keep anything from his father.

Hinata shook her head slowly and gave her son a very tired smile, "Not yet."

Hinata lowered her eyes and thought, frantically.

_Naruto's not ready yet…_

* * *

Sasuke didn't even make a leaf whisper as he leapt effortlessly from tree branch to tree branch. The Uchiha's face was void of expression, his obsidian gaze steely. It was the mask of the perfect ninja, the front of the most dangerous tool of battle, the facade that Sasuke had mastered to a deadly art after all these years.

And now, now, it served to flawlessly hide the raven-haired man's twisting emotions – emotions that coiled liked barbed wire around his painfully pulsing heart and hurt more than anything he'd ever imagined.

Because Naruto had left him.

Naruto had _left_.

Sasuke swallowed thickly, his bitter mind mocking his heart for aching.

Was he a _complete_ idiot? _Of course_, Naruto had left. Almost ten years since he'd left, goddammit! Mountains and rivers could completely change in ten years – much less capricious human emotion. After all this time without the kitsune by his side, only now was he realizing that Naruto might move on with his own life? After everything Sasuke'd done to hurt him, only now was he realizing that his blonde might forget him? Really fucking observant, Uchiha…

Sasuke bit his lip as the irony of his thoughts suddenly sank in.

Had he just referred to Naruto as _his blonde_?

Sasuke sighed, pausing in his pursuit to rest his hand on a rough bark of a particularly bushy tree. Veiled beneath the thick foliage, Sasuke closed his eyes. He'd forced the blonde away countless times but always the kitsune had returned. Always. Unfailingly. Infallibly. Again and again. Had Sasuke simply taken Naruto's devotion for granted? Maybe Sasuke had foolishly taken the fact that even though Naruto could physically leave Sasuke's side, the kitsune would never really leave him as a given? In which case, yes, Sasuke was a complete, utter, disgusting idiot.

_Yet the pain in his heart could not be summed with that one reason…_

Sasuke looked up at dark green leaves and, for a flittering second, his mask cracked to reveal a painfully beautifully, stunningly sorrowful smile of one who allows oneself to be graced with a pain relieving moment of utmost honesty. And in that blessed moment, Sasuke relented the real reason why he'd hung on to that invisible thread of nonexistent hope.

He had believed Naruto would never leave because Naruto had told him he wouldn't.

_Because Naruto had promised._

Even now, the Uchiha could perfectly conjure up his blonde, twelve years old, grinning widely in bright boyish confidence. He'd flashed his teammates a proud thumbs-up sign and announce in a way that only Naruto could do so finally.

"I never go back on my promises! Cos that's my ninja way!"

Because keeping promises – even unfeasible, hopeless, desperate promises – was Naruto's ninja way. Naruto's nindo. And so Sasuke had believed. Believed because Sasuke believed in his blonde's nindo more than he believed in the existence of reason or doubt.

_That_ was the real reason why Sasuke found himself trailing the flesh and blood evidence of his and Naruto's broken promise though the very existence of Naruto's son sustained all the explanations Sasuke would need – would deserve, even.

And yes, Sasuke was a complete idiot.

Sasuke glanced around briefly, activating his Sharigan to locate the presence of Naruto's son. Till now, the Uchiha had followed the boy to the Hokage tower (almost to a point that was unreasonable in his circumstance). He'd been crestfallen when he couldn't continue his pursuit of the boy in such a closely monitored building and so was more than relieved to see the child exit again quickly. The boy had headed toward the houses. Houses meant family meant…

The Uchiha's heart had ceased beating for a lengthened second, not knowing whether he anticipated or dreaded the child leading him to Naruto. But Sasuke hadn't paused to calculate it either, denying himself contemplation on the important question as he easily stalked to child past the apartments and past the individual houses. And Sasuke realized they were in a sanctioned part of town that belonged to the Hyuuga clan. The raven-haired man's black eyes narrowed as he unwillingly remembered a certain short haired girl that'd annoyingly blubbered and even more infuriatingly blushed in the presence of _his_ Naruto when they'd been younger and felt his stomach bend and coil.

As if to confirm his doubts, he saw the boy run straight down the main street, casually saying hello to all the neighbors that offered him a respectable greeting, and enter the biggest sprawling mansion at the heart of the Hyuuga territory. Sasuke knew that it belonged to the main family of the Hyuuga clan and surmised that Naruto had actually married the direct heir to the Hyuuga power and fortune.

Yet, this was strangely ironically fitting. Sasuke thought dryly, his lips slack in a humorless grin of tired contempt. Naruto had given him up to attain all the things a person could ever desire – power, prestige, fortune, and family. Naruto had given up virtually nothing to gain almost everything. It just made so much sense – so much sense that it was hard for Sasuke to breathe.

_But he promised…_

Still, a small part of the raven-haired man continued to deny what was being so realistically reflected through his own cool obsidian eyes. Still Sasuke wanted to see more, know more, about what'd changed for his blonde. Changed _in_ his blonde. As much as it hurt, he still wanted to know. He _had_ to know.

But not now. The Uchiha couldn't possibly enter the main Hyuuga house to investigate if the boy was still there. Not when the child could stare at Sasuke and easily destroy him by simply possessing Naruto's eyes. So he'd have to wait. Wait until the boy left.

So Sasuke settled in the shades of the nearest thick brush to the sprawling mansion and closed his eyes. Promptly, he fell into a semi-trance between sleep and consciousness. It was something Sasuke had accustomed himself to doing whenever he rested all these years. Because in this state, he could easily slip into satisfyingly warm and gorgeously sweet pool of memories – all of which featured a beautiful blonde.

_His blonde._

* * *

"Uuunnn-ahhh! Sa-Sa-"

Golden hair spilled upon Sasuke's glistening white chest as Naruto arched his back, throwing his head against the bigger boy's chest. The blonde's jagged panting resounded through the night air as his thin, frantic arms jerked out aimlessly in his pain. Sasuke wrapped a firm arm around Naruto's chest, to steady the kitsune, as his free hand pressed the smaller boy's hips even closer.

"A-aaaa-aaah!"

Naruto's hair was flaxen in the pale moonlight and wet with perspiration. The blonde rubbed his head against the pale boy's chest as he agonizingly rocked his hip closer. A resounding groan erupted from Sasuke's lips and made the pale man thrust faster into the kitsune. Naruto shuddered in pain, his tilted head now almost banging on Sasuke's ivory chest as the blonde tried desperately to push himself closer, still closer. His slim, tan fingers clutched onto Sasuke's arm that bound his chest and his nails were drawing blood from the pale flesh. Sasuke didn't notice the pain as he arched his own body forward and Naruto would his legs with the bigger boy's to –

"Itekimasu!"

Sasuke's eyes flew open at the sound of the child's call and, just as quickly, his memory evaporated in the daylight. Almost, Sasuke expected to see Naruto on top of him, their limbs tangled in the usual aftermath of their lovemaking, but of course, he was alone. And Naruto wasn't here. Naruto was never here.

Drawing his lips into a stern line, Sasuke peered out of the thick brush to see the boy tripping out of front doors of the mansion. Behind him, a beautiful dark-haired woman gracefully stepped out of the doors and chided lightly, "Be careful, Amoto."

The child turned around to flash a grin at his mother and leaned up on tiptoes to plant a kiss on her cheek. "I'm gonna become the greatest shuriken master in Konoha before I come home this evening, kaa-san." He told her firmly.

The woman laughed, "That doesn't give you much time to fulfill your goal. You better hurry."

The boy flashed a thumbs-up sign and Sasuke felt his insides churn at the perfectly familiar expression. This boy was Naruto. The blood that ran in him definitely belonged to Naruto. And – Sasuke's eyes sharpened on the woman next to the child – _Hyuuga Hinata_.

"Practice doesn't start till I get there, kaa-san." Amoto scoffed.

"Then off with you." Hinata said gently, nudging her son forward fondly. It was the fondness of a woman who was in love with her child. It was the fondness of a woman who was in love with a life that was granted by Sasuke's Naruto. Sasuke felt explosive chakra surge inside him and he forced himself to rein in the power before he attracted every ninja around for miles.

Amoto pivoted to give another departing wave and nearly rammed his head on the courtyard doors. Hinata giggled at her son's clumsiness and, after he'd disappeared out the courtyard doors, turned back to enter the house again – to find that a man in a dark black robe was blocking her path.

Potent fear immediately grasped the young woman and made her quake on her feet for a minute in her livid apprehension. But no. She wouldn't show weakness. Not to this evil man in front of her. Not to him that nearly destroyed _her_ Naruto.

Hinata said evenly, careful to keep the fear from her voice, "Sasuke."

The robed man reached up to jerk away the thick cloth that'd cast the obscuring shadows on his face. Hinata couldn't stop a shocked gasp, however unwilling, from escaping her lips as the sunlight timidly traced the features of the one Uchiha Sasuke. As a boy, he'd been the head of the academy and the greatest heartthrob among her peers. As a man, the very way he wore his power and his perfection was so very unrealistically, very heartrendingly beautiful.

_Sasuke denied the existence of flawed imperfection._

Light trickled upon his silky, ivory cheekbones and the high bridge of his arrogant nose. Sasuke's raven hair scattered across his smooth, pale forehead and fell in front of burning black eyes. The generous robes could not fully hide the slender beauty of the glorious, lean body they wrapped. The man in front of her was the very embodiment of everything that death symbolized: deadly omnipotence, perilous beauty and unyielding commencement to everything around him to bow to his superior will.

Because Uchiha Sasuke was so powerful.And so very, very dangerous.

Hinata faltered briefly, only too humanly, and Sasuke took that pause to speak first.

"Is that your only child?" The raven-haired man's bitter voice contrasted vividly with his stoic, unmoved expression. "Or did you taint Naruto's body more than once?"

On hearing Naruto's name, the slim woman seemed to shed out of her initial shock. Not answering Sasuke's discourteous question, Hinata swallowed and summoned her strength to help her. She had to keep Sasuke from meeting Naruto. Hinata wouldn't lose. She wouldn't lose her husband to this demon. Wouldn't.

_Couldn't._

"I-I think you shouldn't be here, S-Sasuke." Hinata said quietly. "Please leave."

Sasuke's eyes opened wide in surprise, hearing so much hate dripping from the trembling woman in front of him. Sharpening his eyes into a glare, he snapped in a voice that rivaled hers. "Answer my question."

But she didn't even hear his words.

"Leave right now." Hinata hissed, her fists curling at her sides.

It wasn't Hinata's nature to hate. But this man, she did. She despised him with every essence of her soul and being. She'd _never_ forgive him. Never ever forgive him for what he'd done and, most, what he'd almost done to her husband. He had to go. Go before Naruto came home.

"Go away!" Hinata's voice raised an octave and her furious creamy eyes met the Uchiha's black ones. "Now!"

"No." Sasuke snarled, quietly. "I need to meet Naruto."

At this, Hinata's desperation peaked and her frantic hands flew to the hoister at her waist. Instantly, Sasuke had the small woman by her wrists to stop her from reaching her weapons.

"Don't give me any more reason to kill you." The raven-haired man whispered.

"I'd rather die than trust you with Naruto again." Hinata's voice oddly retained a note of collected fortitude, of blind determination. "You don't belong here anymore, Sasuke. I'm begging you. Please – "

"Hinata-chan!"

Sasuke froze, tearing away from the small woman and grasping a shaking hand over his left chest. It felt like his heart had exploded, hearing _his_ voice. It was real this time. Sasuke hadn't simply imagined it. Real.

_So painfully real._

Hinata's creamy eyes flew open in equal shock at the familiar voice. Naruto! But it wasn't time for him to come home yet! No! No, he shouldn't come! Naruto shouldn't – not now – not when –

"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata cried out, frantic. "Don't come in here! I'm – "

"What?"

It was too late. Hinata saw her husband's form through the door of the courtyard and felt grasping fear strangle her throat. Sasuke turned around to look upon his blonde – after all these years – and what he saw made his heart cease to beat in his chest.

_He's… Lord, he's…_

Naruto stood, cocking his head to one side, with the red light of the setting sun framing him in all his wonder. Over the years, his tan skin had turned into a near golden-copper hue and its smooth perfection gleamed in the pink early evening light. He'd grown slightly taller, his long legs more slender and the arms showing from beneath his robes defined with gorgeously toned muscle. His gilt blonde hair was streaked with sun-bleached colors of white gold and fell around his face with a slightly messy wildness that hinted at a dangerous sensuality that would have had all the villagers howling if they'd been described of it just a few years back. The whisker marks were still there – though now more faint against Naruto's darkened skin. Then –

Sasuke stared into Naruto's unbearably blue eyes for the first time in so very many years. Clear cerulean blue – the exact color of the heavens –

_Because Naruto had – after all these years – become a god._

The raven-haired man swallowed thickly, his feet suddenly immobile in the golden-haired man's breathtaking presence. The two past rivals stared at each other for a fleeting second that seemed to last for an eternity.

And slowly, Naruto shifted to bring his long, elegant finger against his lip, pressing the tips into the tender flesh in quiet contemplation. Sasuke had been tracing the blonde's slightest movements in total concentration and now Sasuke's eyes were on the blonde's lips – lips that he'd last kissed too painstaking long-ago – lips that use to utter all the foolishness of a boy that knows too delightfully little about how love – and time – works –

After another lingering moment, Naruto spoke thickly in that voice that was startlingly and satisfyingly the same as Sasuke remembered.

"Who – "

_**Who are you?**_

* * *

A/N: All reviews and comments are welcome!


	2. Broken Promises

**Disclaimer**: Naruto is drawn and written by a fantastically splendid, wonderfully cute, and very talented manga artist Masashi Kishimoto. (Obviously, I don't own it.) On top of that, I don't own the terrific song, Give You Back by Vertical Horizon, which I listened to over and over while writing this fiction.

**In the Previous Chapter:** After almost ten years, Sasuke returns to Konoha to fulfill his promise to Naruto. Upon his return, the Uchiha discovers that Naruto has married Hyuuga Hinata and started a family – not only that, Naruto's first words to the raven-haired man after the painful separation is … "Who are you?"

**Chapter Two Rating: **PG13 (for language and sexual scenes)

**My E-mail:** rosesareblue at ymail dot com (Write me with any comments or suggestions. Remember, there's nothing like feedback that improves an author's moral/writing.)

**Give You Back**

A SasuNaru Fic

by rosesareblue

_I can't remember how it went _

_You looked like everything I wanted_

Give You Back by Vertical Horizon

**Chapter Two: Broken Promise**

"Who are you?" Naruto asked, staring straight into Sasuke's frantic, hungry depths with eyes the color of the most luxurious heavens. Eyes that belonged to the most powerful god.

_Eyes that denied the Uchiha's very existence_.

So Sasuke's world came shattering down around him.

When the dark-haired man before him didn't answer his question, Naruto kept his gaze steady for a few more lingering moments. Finally, tearing his eyes away, the blonde shifted in his abundant Hokage robes to face Hinata. She stood staring at the two men, her creamy eyes wide and fearful. Worry instantly creasing his silky brow, Naruto started toward the quaking young woman.

"Hinata? Who is he?" Naruto prodded gently.

_Don't leave – God! Please don't leave again, Naruto – Please, please – Not again. Don't leave me again._

"Hinata?"

_I'll do anything – Don't go – Don't leave, don't leave! He'll hurt you – he'll kill you – please, please –_

"Hinata-chan?"

_Please – !_

And before Hinata knew it, she was burying her face into the front of Naruto's robes. She clutched tightly, needing to make sure with her touch that he was still there. Naruto hadn't disappeared – hadn't left her for him. Hadn't died. He was here, so very wonderfully still here.

Hinata pressed her face into her husband's warmth and sobbed.

"Er, Hinata-chan?" Naruto patted the shaking woman in his arms, confused now. "Are ya okay?"

"O-onegai." Hinata whispered, not looking up. "N-Naruto. Please, please…"

"Make him go away_."_

Naruto was taken aback by Hinata's request. It was the first time he'd seen her – her who was so gentle in bearing and so sweet in disposition – outwardly reject someone so curtly. Especially someone who seemed to be in so much…

…_pain_.

Naruto returned to staring curiously at the gorgeous stranger in front of him again. There was something absolutely captivating, utterly _riveting_ about this man – and it wasn't just his intense physical beauty that'd caught and held the blonde's attention. The dark haired man was staring at the kitsune with eyes that seemed so hollow – so, so _desperate_… Naruto was shocked by how much pain there really was in the bigger man's black depths.

The blonde's brow creased in wrought curiosity. Who was he, anyway? Why was he wearing such thick robes in the summer? Was he a threat? But Naruto didn't sense any malicious chakra. And how could this man be on any mission when he seemed to be so fraught in his own pain?

It was obvious Hinata knew something about this man that Naruto didn't – but if both of them were going to stay mute to his questions, Naruto would have to figure out what was happening himself. Gently, Naruto released his hold of Hinata. As his grip slackened, the slim woman yelped and grabbed onto his arm more tightly. Naruto bent down to coo reassuring words into his wife's ear while carefully prying her hand away.

When he was free of Hinata's more than reluctant grasp, Naruto carefully approached the stranger. He took care to keep himself directly between now stiff Hinata and the raven-haired man on the off chance he really was a threat. But as Naruto stepped closer, an overwhelming crash of emotions swept across the other man's features. The blonde stared, wholly fascinated, as the raven-haired man's stoic expression melted completely and he seemed on the verge of weeping or screaming or laughing or – or –

Then it was gone. Amazingly, all trace of the emotions was gone and the stranger just choked out a haggard, troubled breath.

Completely taken aback by his own affect on someone he'd never seen before, Naruto instinctively reached out to steady the other man. But when Naruto touched the stoic man's arm lightly, both men jerked away as if they'd been shocked.

_Their touches knew each other._

How could Naruto know the touch of a man he'd never seen before?

But before a startled Naruto could open his mouth to ask, two shurikens speeded past his shoulder and flew towards the raven-haired man standing in front of him. The stranger managed to stumble away from being hit and Naruto whirled around to see Hinata, her hands going to her hoister at her waist for more shurikens.

"Hinata! What are you doing!" Naruto's cried, blue eyes opening wide in horror that she'd attack someone unguarded and unaware – and seemingly so defenseless.

"G-get away from him, Naruto!" Hinata wailed, her fingers closing around more shurikens. "He-he's not safe!"

"What?"

"He-he's a missing nin!" Hinata cried out, not calculating the consequences of her words in her need to make her husband move away so that she could launch her attack on the Uchiha again. If Sasuke died, he couldn't hurt Naruto anymore. If Hinata killed Sasuke, Naruto wouldn't – couldn't –

But at her warning, Naruto's eyes became rounder with mounted confusion. A missing nin that Naruto – who was the one that briefed his Anbu biweekly about the status of missing nins – had never seen before? With this proximity, the raven-haired man couldn't be using any genjutsu without Naruto sensing it. And if this man was a missing nin, why would he ever come to the heart of the most powerful ninja clan in Konoha, specifically the home of the Hokage?

Using Naruto's shock to her advantage, Hinata jerked to the side to speedily deliver another onslaught of shurikens. This time, Sasuke was prepared for the attack and evaded them too easily. But the raven-haired man's attention wasn't on Hinata at all – but instead followed Naruto who was now running toward the slender woman and wrapping his arms around her shoulders to stop her from delivering any more weapons.

"What's wrong with you today, Hinata!" Naruto hissed at his wife in his arms. "Stop it!"

Hinata struggled in Naruto's arms. She'd made a mistake, mentioning that Sasuke was a missing nin to Naruto. But – but she didn't know what to do! She – she had to talk to Tsunade! No – first she had to keep Sasuke away from Naruto! Or, or… Her mind whirling with indecision about what to do to salvage this situation, Hinata tried to pull her hand, which clutched tightly to a kunai, out of Naruto's stronger grip.

"Tell me what's going on!" Naruto roared over his shoulder to the raven-haired man.

Sasuke jumped when Naruto addressed him. He'd been busy noticing how Naruto was embracing Hinata in a way that, while restraining her, wouldn't hurt her physically in the slightest way. Noticing how Naruto really did seem utterly _puzzled_ by his presence – no resentment, no sorrow, no familiarity and not even a hint of, of… _love_. And after all those dreams – all that mindless, blind hope of forgiveness – of redemption – maybe even verbal berating like their childhood – of, of _something _–

But there was _nothing._

Naruto hadn't only moved on.

_Naruto had forgotten Sasuke's very existence._

"Na-Naruto." Sasuke managed to choke out, his head reeling from the excruciating shock of it all. "It's – I – I'm…"

Naruto pivoted so that he was scrutinizing the other man with a careful blue eye.

"U…Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke finished, his voice a barely audible whisper.

"And…" Naruto's brow creased in confusion. "We've…met?"

"B-baka." Sasuke insisted, his throat clogging and making it hard for him to talk, hard for him to breathe, but he pressed on. "O-of course we've met."

Silence.

Then, "When?"

"We-we-" Sasuke forced a shaking grin onto his dry lips. "H-how should I know? We've known each other f-forever, us-usuratonkachi."

Naruto's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What are you talking – "

That moment, Hinata frantically forced out of Naruto's slackened grasp and sent a series of kunais flying toward the Uchiha. Sasuke slipped out of the way fluidly and –

Then, Naruto's arm was around Hinata's waist. His blonde's arm was wound tightly around another's waist, pulling her back towards him. The sight unsettled Sasuke so much that the Uchiha didn't even move out of the path of the remaining two kunais. They drove neatly into his left shoulder and chest and Sasuke didn't even feel the pain.

Because it was nothing compared to the pain that was ripping his heart to tiny slivers.

The last thing Sasuke saw before he blacked out was the heavenly color of Naruto's eyes.

* * *

After carefully prying away the kunais, Naruto hoisted the bigger man up in his arms. Hurriedly, he leapt up onto the courtyard walls and paused briefly to turn his head towards the small, trembling woman below him.

"Stay here." Naruto said, all the authority of a Hokage harshly vivid in his tone, "I'm going to talk to you when I get back."

"N-no, Naruto!" Hinata cried, frantic and still shaking from what she'd done. "Wh-where are you going? I can't let you go off alone with him!"

"To Tsunade." Naruto replied curtly. "Or he'll die."

With that, the blonde leapt towards the nearest rooftops. Behind him, he could hear Hinata frantically calling his name and rushing after him in pursuit against his wishes. What the fuck was going on? Who was this guy? And why did Hinata just –

"_Na_…"

The man in his arms twitched, painfully, and his right hand snaked up to clutch at the front of Naruto's robes.

"_Naruto_…"

The kitsune almost stumbled as the man in his arms painfully whispered his name. The breath that said his name held all the array and intensity of the emotions the blonde had read upon the raven-haired man's face for that split second. Naruto felt his skin prick at this gorgeous, throaty quality of the man's deep voice.

"Oi-oi!" Naruto cried out, his head whirling with confusion. Gawd, what the fuck was his name again? Sa-something? Satsu… no, that wasn't it. Sasa – no – "Sa-Sasuke? Right? Sasuke! Hold on, okay? We are almost there!"

At that, the man in his arms leaned his head closer to Naruto's chest. And Naruto's ears almost didn't catch hearing Sasuke choke out the desperate, so very important, words. Almost.

**_I'm so sorry, Naruto._**

"Tsunade baa-baa!" Naruto rammed a shoulder against the closed door of Tsunade's mansion, careful to keep his arms strongly around the injured man to protect him from the impact of his movements. "Open the door! Now!"

"Brat!" The woman's voice came from behind the oak doors. "It's a little late to be making so much racket!"

"Open the goddamn door!" Naruto roared, clutching the man in his arms more tightly.

Tsunade threw open the door – all prepared to give the insolent blonde a piece of her mind – completely unprepared for the sight that'd greet her. Naruto stood in her doorsteps, his robes darkened with blood, and held an injured raven-haired man to his chest.

_No, it couldn't be – not after all this time – was that…_

Her eyes grew wide with shock when she confirmed her fears of who it was in Naruto's arms. She almost immediately concealed her surprise – but not quickly enough so that Naruto missed it.

"So you know him too." The kitsune snapped, the fury evident in his passionate tone. "You and Hinata both know what's going on and who he is."

"Naruto, you don't understand – "

"Naruto!"

Tsunade's rushed words were cut off by Hinata's cry as she finally caught up with her husband. The dark-haired woman stared from Naruto to Tsunade, her creamy eyes wet with distraught, frustrated tears. Naruto sighed slowly, his anger alleviating slightly at the sight of his wife's pained distress.

"We'll talk about this later." The blonde said quietly, authority and responsibility making his voice heavy. "First, heal him Tsunade baa-baa. He's hurt bad."

Tsunade scrutinized the tired confusion and subdued fury etched into Naruto's handsome face. Then she gazed at Hinata, who was swallowing more tears even while she looked on at the man that lay in her husband's arms with insistent acerbic hate. And Tsunade felt her own emotions tangle with the small, dark-haired woman at her doorsteps.

"No."

Naruto's head jerked up and for a moment he was too shaken to speak. "Wha-what? I-I didn't hear properly, I – "

Tsunade thrust her chin up defiantly. Her brown eyes were hard with stubbornness. After a pregnant pause, the blonde women said in a curtly reserved, stringently professional tone that shackled all the feelings that wrecked havoc in her heart.

"I will not heal that traitor, hokage-sama."

"You-you can't be serious." Naruto choked, his arms tightening around the man in his arms instinctively. "If-If you don't – he – this man will d-die."

Tsunade forced her quivering lips in a tight line and didn't meet the appalled disappointment echoing in Naruto's eyes.

"So be it then."

The kitsune stared at the shaking blonde woman, who held his gaze obstinately, for a long moment. Hinata was nodding gravely at him and wiping the stray tears that slid down her ivory cheeks. And Naruto knew, with utmost urgency, that this was wrong. Something was so horribly wrong – ! Tsunade baa-baa and Hinata would never –

Finally, the blonde spoke painfully in a thick, accented voice.

"Tsunade: I'm ordering you as your outranking ninja to save this man's life. This a direct order and you will not refuse. And – and – I can see it in your eyes that you really want to."

The last bit was added with a note of frantic hope.

But the blonde woman forced herself to ignore it. She replied just as slowly, just as emphatically, "I decline. It is the duty of a subordinate ninja to protect her hokage – especially if he does not act in his best interest. Naruto. Sasu-this man is one of the most dangerous missing nins. If he lives, he might kill you."

Naruto's expression broke and the blonde cried, hurt that it was Tsunade who was saying this, "'Might' isn't a good enough reason for a person to die."

"Naruto – " Hinata started, rushing forth to grab her husband's arm. But the blonde jerked out of her reach and instead, elbowed past the blonde woman into the building.

"If you won't help me, I-I'll heal him myself!"

Naruto laid the heavily bleeding man on the sofa of Tsunade's living room. Because he'd been here so many times for himself and for Amoto, Naruto knew where the retired medical nin kept her medicine. Rushing to the large cupboard next to the prominent bookcase filled with medical books, the blonde jerked out gauze and healing solutions.

"Naruto! Stop it!"

"Naruto-kun, please!"

The two women rushed into the living room after the kitsune, but even they couldn't muster enough resolve to hamper the blonde or harm the injured Uchiha while Naruto rushed madly about to aid the bleeding raven-haired man. Hinata buried her face into her hands and burst into shattered sobbing and Tsunade repeated to herself over and over that this – all of this – was indeed to protect Naruto.

Naruto dropped to his knees next to Sasuke, his heart racing fast upon seeing the pale face of the man lose even the little color it'd retained. Trying to recall every bit of knowledge he had on treating wounds and everything he'd ever picked up from Tsunade, Naruto carefully peered off Sasuke's robe and slowly, gently, stripped the dark shirt that Sasuke wore.

And froze.

Tsunade and Hinata stilled too, as their rounded eyes reflected the glistening jewel that lay on the Uchiha's smooth, pale chest.

Naruto was now trembling so mightily that even his breath became shattered. The kitsune moved his shaking hands to the wounds in the man's left shoulder and chest. His slender hands carefully, delicately relayed the curative chakra necessary to mend broken skin and knit torn veins. Usually, Naruto's healing powers were too inconsistent and his chakra control too unstable to offer much medical help. But, in this crucial moment, a crimson-gold chakra wrapped around the kitsune's fingers and transmitted a steady pulse of remedial chakra into the unconscious Uchiha. Or – it could be that the raven-haired man was – oddly – extremely responsive to the blonde's touches.

Pale skin rematerialized and neatly dammed the blood flow. Careful not to make any mistake, the kitsune cleaned off the dried blood and tenderly smoothed healing salve over the left shoulder and chest of the raven-haired man. Just in case, Naruto wound the gauze around the injured area. When all the treatment was applied, Naruto's jaded breathing had more or less evened and his trembling had lessened. He continued to kneel at the Uchiha's side and kept his back to the two still shocked women.

"Now, explain." Naruto said, his voice resounding with suppressed rage. "Explain why a missing nin has been kept secret from the Hokage – who is supposed to be the person most responsible for keeping his village safe."

Naruto's voice rose slightly, but was still, still so deadly quiet.

"Explain why he kept saying my name in his sleep. And – "

Naruto's long, tan fingers ghosted across Sasuke's chest to finger the glowing jewel – the profound, luxurious green of the sea – and clutch the valuable stone tightly in his grip. Only then did he turn to face Tsunade and Hinata.

"Explain why he has this." Naruto pressed, holding up the Hokage necklace that now gleamed in his palm. "Explain why I gave someone I've never seen before my most precious possession."

* * *

Naruto wrapped warm arms around Sasuke's neck and ran his hot palms against the cool of Sasuke's bare chest.

"Get off me, dobe." Sasuke said quietly, the heartbreakingly gorgeous smile hanging on his lips contrasting sharply with the words escaping through them. "You are too warm."

"Nuh-uh." Naruto's nose buried into the hollow of the Uchiha's neck. His tongue darted out to massage the bigger boy's shoulder and Sasuke relaxed against the soft licks of his blonde. The Uchiha wrapped one hand around the blonde's slim wrist – just in case the dobe got the very mistaken idea that the Uchiha would really allow him to get off – and the other winded around the thin stalk of the kitsune's neck to pull him even closer.

Naruto murmured, lapping a certain spot on Sasuke's shoulder over and over. When the pale skin was red and slick from all the attention, the blonde began to nibble lightly on the sensitive flesh. The blonde's gentle bites were interrupted periodically by his tongue tracing the skin with feather-light caresses.

"Stop being so damn soft, usuratonkachi." Sasuke complained, adamantly restraining an urge to purr from the treatment.

Obediently, Naruto's teeth began to work more aggressively into the Uchiha's skin and Sasuke body went taut as sensual sensations sheered like fire through his body. After letting the delightful torture continue for a while, the Uchiha twisted his body roughly around and pulled the kitsune down on top of him to claim the soft lips in a furious kiss.

"Bastard." Naruto finally said, jerking his head up only a good ten minutes of aggressive kissing later, and wrinkled his tan nose in mock annoyance. "You interrupted my giving you a hickey."

Smirking, Sasuke pulled the blonde roughly forward so that the blonde's face unwillingly buried into his neck again – now slightly damp with sweat. "Fine then. Finish what you were doing."

Naruto mumbled indignantly against Sasuke's flesh and pulled off, glaring furiously down at self-satisfied obsidian eyes.

"Bastard! Only thinking about what you want!" Naruto rearranged his body so that he was sitting more comfortably in Sasuke's lap and wound his legs around the bigger boy's waist, then added. "Jerk!"

One elegant eyebrow shot up on the Uchiha's pale brow. "So _what _do you want, Naruto? _You_ said you wanted to give me the hickey."

"You keep inter-in- ah, ah – !"

Sasuke didn't bother to wait for the complete answer before leaning down to take Naruto's left nipple between his lips. Naruto's head tilted back as Sasuke began to work the sensitive flesh between his teeth. Naruto's hands snaked into the bigger boy's raven-hair and held tight. Sasuke pushed the blonde down so that the Uchiha was on fours looking down at a flushed Naruto sprawled out vulnerably under him.

Naruto's blue eyes were smoky as they gazed into Sasuke's depths. As easily as the anger had entered it'd evaporated from the kitsune's wonderfully blue eyes and Sasuke found himself mesmerized by the sheer intensity of emotions reflected in them. And the most powerful of all the swirling desires in the bright blue pools were –

The kitsune, mouth parted, leaned his head up to taste the ivory flesh of Sasuke's neck. The stinging bites and the bruising kisses contrasted wildly with the way Naruto's elegant fingers felt the Uchiha's bare chest, caresses so gentle and so loving that Sasuke wondered if they were real. Finally, Naruto settled his head back down and gazed at all the kiss marks on the Uchiha's otherwise flawless white neck.

Quietly, as if his wish would shatter if said loudly, the kitsune spoke wispily, "I – I want – "

Naruto drew in a shaky breath, fingering his marks on the Uchiha.

"I – I want you to – to be mine, Sasuke."

The blonde's voice was silky velvet.

"I want you to be mine."

And – for a split second – there was nothing Sasuke wanted more than to say yes. But the fleeting moment ticked away and the Uchiha gave a slight tilt of the head. Naruto swallowed painfully, disappointment washing over him in overwhelming tides but accepting the other boy's implicit answer.

_But that prevailing longing in the blue eyes did not fade…_

Sasuke knew that longing too well. It was a desire for something that one wanted dearly, madly, _insanely_ – but could not yet reach. Not yet. But instead of offering the smaller boy's words of comfort, the Uchiha leaned his head down to press his lips on the very soft lips and to run his hands expertly down Naruto's slick, tan body. The kitsune shivered and settle comfortably into Sasuke's embrace.

* * *

"Wake up already! Gawd!" A red-faced Naruto nudged the sleeping man who was once again in the blonde's arms. "That's like the six billionth time this evening you said my name!"

As if in reply, Sasuke groaned out Naruto's name in a way that made the three-syllable name sound like an elongated sentence. Naruto gulped loudly, blood rushing to his ears. He changed how he was holding the man to him so that their skin wasn't touching as much and quickly leapt down the rooftops.

Naruto was headed to a certain pink-haired woman's apartment.

A pulsing migraine shot pain through his head as Naruto thought back to the scene that'd just happened in Tsunade's living room. The kitsune had waited, stony silent and darkly patient, for his wife and the medical ninja to explain, to help him understand those impossible questions.

Hinata had been subdued by his rage and had stood forlornly, quietly weeping. Any other time, her tears would have broken Naruto's heart ten times over and the blonde would have immediately allowed her into his arms as if to physically guard her from her plaguing sorrows. But tonight, he could guess that her tears were for him – for him and because of him – and he was angry that she would not explain so that he could right whatever offense he'd unknowingly committed. After all, everything that'd happened tonight was just that for Naruto – unknowing, ignorance, confusion... What did Hinata expect if she wouldn't explain!

Because Naruto wasn't used to directing any frustration at all towards his wife, the blonde was tempted to blame this on Tsunade. Luckily, the healing process had gone well enough. But it still made Naruto tremble that she'd allowed a person's life to be placed in the hands of oh-so-fickle luck. And…

After Naruto's angry questions had been only answered by an infuriating silence for almost five, ten minutes, Tsunade had finally, finally, spoken. Unfortunately, her words were an enigma in itself!

"As far as any ninja in Konoha is concerned, hokage-same, this man is not supposed to exist."

After another dragging silence, Naruto had snapped up at the blonde woman, "That's it? That's all you are going to tell me?"

Tsunade pulsed her lips. "It has been forbidden to say more – _I_'ve forbidden any ninja of Konoha to say more."

"Wha – "

"And Naruto, even the rokudaime must respect the last wishes of the godaime."

Naruto let out an aggravated groan, remembering.

Trust Tsunade baa-baa to know all the formal proceedings to put him on the spot and simultaneously get herself out of hot water! Must be the result of all her experiences dodging debt collectors… Kuso.

Afterwards, the situation had been awkward. Naruto couldn't rightly leave the injured man with Tsunade – not after she'd claimed – though her contrite brown eyes betrayed her – the man deserved no less than death. And it was out of the question for the man to return home with Naruto – Hinata's wide, scared eyes made that possibility obsolete. So, Naruto had decided to take the stranger to his last hope.

Haruno Sakura and he'd been through too much together to refuse Naruto's plea of sheltering the stranger in her abode for one night. He still wasn't quite sure that he'd done the medical proceeding right and he wanted a licensed medical nin to look at the wounds. And, if those two requests went against the set rules of Konoha – well, all the better to ask the pink-haired woman. As kids, Sakura and Naruto had broken more than their share of conventional rules.

And, Naruto hoped, she'd shed some light on this mind-boggling situation.

So, leaving Hinata with Tsunade, Naruto was hurrying to Sakura's apartment carrying the raven-haired man in his arms. As the blonde neared the spacious apartment buildings, he could see that the light shining from Sakura's bedroom window. The kitsune knew his formal teammate's habits well enough to guess that she was doing a little before-bedtime reading. A while ago, he'd seen her curled up with the book Quantum Physics and the World of Quarks. Naruto still liked to tease Sakura endlessly about the incident – though the blonde's moments of victory were often lessened by the pink-haired woman implicating physical wounds on his body.

Naruto landed on a thick branch that stretched out towards Sakura's room and, heaving Sasuke's weight to one shoulder, knocked on the window.

There was a surprised rustle from inside, then an exasperated, feminine voice cried, "Honestly, Naruto! I wish you would learn to use the door like normal people!"

Normally, Naruto would have answered with a chuckling "But I'm not a normal person – orewa tensai dattebayo!" or an innocent "But Sakura-chan, I was just checking to see if you were in a position to be bothered or not." But today, the blonde said nothing save a grave "Un" to advertise his presence.

The pink-haired woman knew immediately something was wrong. Quickly, she withdrew the curtains and slid open the window. Squinting out into the dark of night, Sakura started worriedly, "Is something wrong, Naru – "

She stopped speaking all together when she saw who was in Naruto's arms. Suddenly, her body started quaking wildly – so much that it looked as though her limbs were jerking out of control. She dropped the heavy book she'd been reading and it collided with her carpeted floor with a heavy thud. Her green eyes blinked rapidly – as if she was closing and opening them to make sure what she held in front of her was not a lie.

Then, an anguished, broken sob escaped the pink-haired woman's lips, "Sa-Sasuke-kun."

"So, you know who he is too." Naruto said, his voice low and his expression unreadable. The kitsune dropped into the pink-haired woman's wide bedroom – decorated neatly in pink and white – and made the way to her rumbled bed to lay the raven-haired boy down.

Sakura's heart was racing fast – of all the things she did _not_ expect to see. Sasuke-kun. With Naruto. The past guilty ten years seem to weigh down on her conscience all of a sudden and the pink-haired woman felt pain, regret, anger – and most of all, sorry! Sorry that she'd lied to the blonde man who was her best friend. Sorry that she'd – like the rest of the villagers – believed it was for the best if Sasuke would never return and the very memory of him would die.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

Naruto said, after staring for a long time at the pink-haired woman just barely staying up on her feet.

Sakura's head jerked up as if she'd been slapped. Then, it was as if she regretted she looked up. Her contrite green eyes wondered everywhere save to meet Naruto's blue gaze. Naruto sighed, getting up.

"I suppose you also promised some secrecy. Forbidden to help me figure out what the fuck is going on." The kitsune said throatily and his voice retained all the bitter anger he felt towards the confounding situation.

Sakura almost said she was sorry – it was the most instinctive thing she could do at the moment. But as the pink-haired woman traced the kitsune's worn, unusually unhappy features, she realized sorry was the last thing Naruto wanted to hear. So she stayed mute.

"Will ya look him over, at least?" Naruto prodded. "He's hurt."

At that, the pink-haired woman's eyes went wide with white-hot terror and she rushed to the injured man's side. Naruto's blue eyes traced Sakura's frantic, desperate fingers pull back the thick robe and her expert green eyes scrutinize the tended wounds below them. The kitsune saw that though his former teammate seemed just as deeply affected by the stranger's presence as Hinata and Tsunade, her features didn't twitch in restrained hate when she looked upon him. Could it be that Sakura – perhaps the most eligible single woman in all of Konoha who didn't give any suitor the time of the day – was almost – almost – _tender _towards this man?

But one thing was crudely obvious. There was something deep-rooted about this man's existence in the minds of all three women. When had he made such an impression on them anyway – especially Hinata and Sakura whom Naruto had known all his life? Either Naruto's lack of memory of ever having seen this man before was either a meticulously planned conspiracy or – or –

Naruto drew in his breath sharply as the only other logical explanation for Hinata's hiding something from him dawned on his mind. But – but that was a forbidden jutsu! And, in Naruto's opinion, one of the cruelest thing one ninja could impose upon another. The kitsune couldn't bring himself to think that his wife would ever knowingly inflict him with such cruelty.

Not unless the alternative was…

Was…

Naruto felt a shiver coarse down his spine. God, he needed to talk to Hinata. _Now_.

"Is – Is he okay, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked hurriedly, rushing to the pink-haired woman's side.

Sakura looked up at Naruto with a twisted, fake smile and said wryly. "He was treated perfectly. Tsunade sensei – ?"

"No." Naruto replied curtly. "I did. Tsunade baa-baa didn't want to."

Even the fake smile dwindled. "I see."

"Will you watch him tonight, Sakura?" Naruto pleaded, reminded of the other favor he'd needed to ask.

"Y-yes, of course."

The words were out of her mouth before the pink-haired woman had time to calculate what she was saying. It won her an endearing smile from the kitsune. Despite the situation, she blushed, proud to have received it.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan." The blonde said, turning towards the window. "I'll be back tomorrow morning to have a word with him. You be careful, though."

"U-un." Sakura nodded, getting to her feet to see Naruto off.

With a tight smile, Naruto jumped out of her window and disappeared quickly into the night air, leaving the evening's cool breeze to steal into the pink-haired woman's room. Sakura stood looking after her best friend for a long time – the weight of her silence, the curse of her lies boring into her soul like maggots in wood – till she finally had to close the window from the chill. As her hands rearranged her curtains in place, Sasuke spoke.

"He's gone?"

Sakura had known he'd awoken as soon as Naruto had set him down on her bed and wasn't at all surprised to hear his voice. It was strange that she'd known Sasuke had been faking sleep when he'd fooled Naruto – but things were different now. Sakura – and everyone else in Konoha – had made sure of that.

"Un." Sakura said slowly, forcing her lips to bend into a smile. Finally, her expression together, she turned to face the one Uchiha Sasuke – the boy she'd loved during her childhood and the man she'd dreamed of for the past ten years – to pretend that nothing was wrong while slaying him with the words she knew would hurt him the most. "He had to go home, Sasuke-kun. Naruto's, um, married, now, to – "

"Hyuuga Hinata." Sasuke said bitterly, his expression deadpan as he looked at, but didn't see, the pink-haired woman in front of him. Sakura's lips twisted into a humorless grin for a moment. Even after ten years, _some_things still hadn't changed.

"Then you must know Naruto has a kid too – Uzumaki Amoto." The pink-haired woman ventured boldly.

She knew that she said these words purely sadistically. She wanted to hurt the raven-haired man that lay on her bed that moment, wanted to leave the kind of wounds that wouldn't show upon his flawless ivory flesh but would be just as – much more – painful. Sakura hated Sasuke for being away for ten long years, hated him for having made her lie to Naruto, hated him for what he'd done to her best friend – and – and –

_Still loved him for all the foolish reasons only a senseless heart could comprehend._

Sasuke said the boy's name under his breath and a mixture of stringent pain and delighted wonder entered his beautiful black eyes. It was a strong name and it fit the compelling image of the gorgeous child. Uzumaki Amoto. Naruto's son.

His blonde's beautiful son.

Suddenly pain coursed through Sasuke's left chest and the Uchiha winced. Immediately, Sakura was by his side stroking his damp brow and muttering soothing magic words to alleviate the pain.

"Daijoubu, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke nodded and smirked at the anxious pink-haired woman staring worriedly into his face.

"It's been a long time, Sakura." The Uchiha said curtly, hiding the pain. "You've changed."

A dark blush spread pleasantly across the pink-haired woman's sweet face. In truth, she _had_ changed. She'd grown out her hair so that it spilled in silky pink cascades down her back. Her white features had matured from a girlish prettiness to a woman's raw beauty. Her smooth, high brow and large, bright green eyes were lovely to behold. But her beauty was rooted in the fact that she was a flower yet unclaimed; she'd been denying to herself that she'd been still saving herself for him – for Sasuke – but all these years, that was exactly what she'd been foolishly doing.

Her beauty sourced from the fact that Haruno Sakura was one of those rare women who still clung on to her first love.

"You've changed too, Sasuke-kun." Sakura murmured, not able to meet her beloved's obsidian eyes. After allowing herself another heart thumping moment, the pink-haired woman broke the peace of the moment by choking out, "And so has Naruto."

"Tell me about him, Sakura. Tell me why he-he doesn't remember me." Sasuke said instantly –his voice breaking – and Sakura painfully knew once again that she did not hold a candle to what the blonde meant to the raven-haired man in front of her. But that didn't – couldn't – matter now. She'd prepared herself for this moment for the past ten years so it was disgustingly easy to shun her foolish fantasies. Sakura had vowed that, this time, she'd keep her own nice-guy promise she'd made with herself and with an unknowing Naruto. _This time_, she would choose her best friend over her love.

This time, Sakura would sacrifice Sasuke-kun to protect Naruto.

"I'll tell you everything, Sasuke-kun." Sakura said, her voice agonizingly hollow. "I'll tell you all that's happened in your absence."

Sasuke grinned in relief at the pink-haired woman but Sakura jerked her head away to save herself from seeing that heart-breaking smile.

"But only under one condition." Sakura said, her voice low.

Sasuke arched one elegant eyebrow in surprise. Sakura's voice was practiced and void of emotion. He'd not known this side of her. It must have been something she'd attained when she'd stopped being a girl and unwittingly became a woman. It wasn't, at all, the prettiest change.

"After I tell you, I want you to leave Konoha Sasuke-kun."

Sakura's words were cutting, like a slicing blade against new flesh.

"I want you to leave before Naruto comes back to see you. I want you to leave."

Determined green eyes met staggered black ones.

"**_Leave and never come back_**."

* * *

Naruto entered the courtyard of the sprawling Hyuuga mansion and walked noiselessly into the front hall. He noted that Hinata's and Amoto's shoes had been arranged neatly and took off his own shoes before entering the house. The blonde noticed that light was trickling from the dining room and went down the long corridor towards it.

Hinata waited for him, a steaming kettle of boiling water and round teacups arranged upside down on the wide table. She looked tired as he felt, but even her tiredness didn't hamper the soft aura of her gentle beauty and Naruto had to appreciate – frustrated as he was at her – the alluring way Hinata smiled at him that moment.

"I put Amoto to bed." Hinata told her husband quietly. "I apologized for not being home when he returned."

"Did you say anything else?" Naruto asked, pulling out a dining room chair to sit down.

Hinata shook her head and then asked, "I thought you'd like some tea, Naruto-kun. It's been a long day."

The kitsune had to hand it to Hinata. Hot tea was just what his body wanted that moment. Realizing his anger with her was all too quickly ebbing away and being replaced by a pained disappointment, Naruto recognized the best thing to do at that moment was to be honest with his wife about his suspicions.

"Hinata-chan." Naruto's slender hand reached across the table to not take the tea she was offering but the woman's slim, white wrist. He gently tugged her hand closer to his lips and whispered into her soft palm.

"Do you love me?"

Hinata felt her heart thudding in her chest as the blonde man's warm lips tickled her hand. And the dark-haired woman felt her answer to that question inside so, so much it hurt. Tears crept into her eyes as she whispered the words they both knew so well.

"So very much, Naruto-kun."

Naruto's incomprehensibly blue eyes met her creamy gaze and held.

"Then I want you to tell me, Hinata-chan."

Hinata felt her heart drop into her stomach at those savage words. She realized now that despite hers and Tsunade's secrecy, her husband had somehow found out. Who'd dare told him? Haruno Sakura? No, no – the pink-haired woman would never betray the harmful truth to Naruto. Then, it must be that Naruto himself had figured it out.

But, but this couldn't be! It was all nearing that end she'd feared – too quickly. He'd leave! Naruto would go! And she'd only had such a short, short ten years!

Frantically, Hinata tried to pull her hand free but Naruto held on tightly.

"That-that's not fair, Naruto!" Hinata begged, her usually quiet voice too loud with her thrashing emotion. "Don't – "

"No, Hinata-chan." Naruto said quietly, still gently caressing his wife's palm with his lips. "You aren't being fair. You knew – all this time – and you didn't tell me."

"Naruto, please."

Hinata closed her eyes painfully and two stray tears leaked out from under her dark black lashes. She felt Naruto wipe them away gently with his free hand and felt herself melt at his touch. But she'd had the best reason in the world to keep this a secret from her husband all these years –

_She didn't want to let him go…_

"Tell me why Tsunade baa-baa erased my memory."

Her husband's voice was still so gentle!

"**Tell me why Tsunade erased my memory of Uchiha Sasuke**."

* * *

All reviews and comments are welcome!


	3. Never Let You Go

**Disclaimer**: Naruto is drawn and written by a fantastically splendid, wonderfully cute, and very talented manga artist Masashi Kishimoto. (Obviously, I don't own it.) On top of that, I don't own the terrific song, Give You Back by Vertical Horizon, which I listened to over and over while writing this fiction.

**In the Previous Chapter:** Naruto has figured out that Tsunade erased his memory of Uchiha Sasuke and made it a law for all shinobi of Konoha to never speak of the missing nin. While Naruto demands an explanation from Hinata, Sasuke asks Sakura why Naruto does not remember him. Sakura promises to explain – if Sasuke vows to leave Konoha without meeting Naruto again and never returns.

**Chapter Three Rating: **PG13 (for language and sexual implications)

**My E-mail: **rosesareblue at ymail dot com (Write me with any comments or suggestions. Remember, there's nothing like feedback that improves an author's moral/writing.)

**Give You Back**

_A SasuNaru Fic_

**by rosesareblue**

_I need to know if you were real_

_I'd hate to think that I'd been fooled again_

Give You Back by Vertical Horizon

**Chapter Three: I Will Never Let You Go**

The pink haired woman and the raven-haired man stared at each other for an uncomfortably long length of time. Sakura's words seemed to float around them, clogging the air with the thickness of its meaning.

_Leave and never come back._

She almost wished she could collect the rude scattered words and bottle them up again. She couldn't believe she'd just said such things to Sasuke-kun – to the person that had lived in her heart all these years. It was like stabbing her own flesh with her own kunai. But, no. There was no going back.

_Too much time had passed._

"You weren't supposed to come back, Sasuke-kun." Sakura said quietly.

Her green eyes were vivid with raw pain as she looked on at the beautiful man that sat on her bed that moment. The setting of it all was so much like her most secret fantasies! It only made reality crueler in its ironic comparisons.

The pink-haired woman cleared her throat and continued. "We thought you'd never come back – not on your own."

After a while, the Uchiha sighed and let a wry smile tease his smooth, soft lips. "I promised him I would. Come back."

There was no question who 'he' was.

"But you weren't planning on being able to fulfill the promise." Sakura said instantly. The amount of bitterness in her own voice surprised her and she bit down hard on her lower lip.

Sasuke raised an elegant eyebrow in astonishment at the pink-haired woman's intuitiveness but didn't let it sound in his voice. Expression controlled, words calm, the Uchiha said evenly. "Yes."

"You chose revenge over us, Sasuke-kun." Sakura sighed, her guesses now solidly confirmed with that simple word. "You chose Itachi over Konoha, over your friends - o-over me…"

Her voice was trembling mightily and cracking from the sheer intensity of the emotions swimming in her guts – and most of it, Sakura had to admit, was contempt. Not contempt for the Uchiha before her but contempt for herself – herself who was so weak to love this – this _demon_ because she could not make herself look past his angel's mask. Sakura pushed her face closer to the raven-haired man's to look accusingly into his eyes and let her heart break all over again at his physical proximity and his still – somehow – terrible distance.

"A-and you chose Itachi over him. Over Naruto." Sakura whispered. She wanted to slap him. No, that wasn't right. She _should_ not want to kiss him. Not kiss the gorgeous man in front of her. She swallowed weakly and willed strength into her voice. "You chose being an avenger over being with Naruto! How dare you come back after that, Sasuke-kun! Tell me what kind of – of heartless person can – can come back after that!"

Sasuke let his hair fall and cast obscuring shadows in his eyes. It was a long time before the man spoke. And, this time, even the great ninja could not conceal the grief in his voice. It echoed in the depth of his voice, making his low tremor even more alluring with its hollow darkness.

"I-I c-came to find it again." Sasuke choked.

"Find it?" Sakura blinked, confused.

"I'm heartless, just like you say." Sasuke's black hair was still veiling his eyes. "That's why I came back. To find my heart. Be-because, _he_ has it. Naruto has it."

Silent tears welled in Sakura's eyes and trickled down her face at those words and she had to wrap her hands over her mouth to keep her sudden, pressing sobs from drowning out the Uchiha's quiet words.

"An-and I wanted to feel again. _Feel what it's like to be human again._"

Finally Sasuke was looking up at her with eyes the velvety black of night.

"I came back for Naruto." He said simply, summing up everything in those words.

There was another awkward silence as Sakura wiped her tears quickly on her palms. It took the pink haired woman awhile to fashion her sad eyes in the best glare she could manage. "So, I-I presume you killed Itachi."

Sasuke faltered a little at the abrupt inquiry. "Y-yes."

"Took you long enough." Sakura spat.

She let angry words spill from her mouth – not because she wanted to say them – but because they needed to be said. Because someone had to say them.

"Now that that little agenda of yours is done with, you decided to come back for Naruto? But, Sasuke-kun! As you probably noticed – Naruto's not exactly waiting for you, now is he? Did I already mention that Naruto's the rokudaime? And no, I don't think a top-secret missing S-level nin like you can just simply come back and take our hokage-sama away from the village of Konoha. Maybe you should have worked out your priorities before hand, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried.

"Just like how Naruto worked out his priorities, huh?" Sasuke snapped back, the hurt so very evident in his glorious tremor because he didn't care to hide it.

The pink-haired woman jerked back as if she'd been slapped. "H-how dare you! How dare you even _suggest_ that Naruto is anything like you! You were gone for ten years, Sasuke-kun! You left! _You_!" Sakura was sobbing out rightly now. "You weren't going to come back! Of course Naruto moved on! Only senseless idiots like me can't move on! Na-Naruto's too, too special to be wasted on someone like you, Sa-Sa-"

She couldn't finish her sentence, doubling over to bawl into the fabric of her covers. Her distress seemed to aggravate the raven-haired man and he finally allowed the distraught to surface onto his features. He bawled his fists so that his nails dug painfully into the white flesh of his palms. Jerking, he aggressively tugged down the front of his ripped shirt to reveal the shimmering, painfully perfect jewel of the hokage necklace that hung against the smoothness of his chest.

"Then why the fuck isn't he waiting for me? Why would Naruto give me this goddamn necklace and – and promise that he – that he would never leave when – when – " It was Sasuke now, who couldn't continue his sentence. "If he was going to forget me completely, why did he ever say that he'd – ever promise me that – that – "

Sakura stared at Sasuke mournfully. The smallest fleck of fear in her quiet voice, she whispered, "What did he promise, Sasuke-kun? What did Naruto say he'd do?"

And the pink-haired woman was amazed to see a single tear coarse down those ivory, marble features.

"Naruto promised me that – that – "

The light in his black eyes withdrew as Sasuke fell into the haunting well of memories.

* * *

The wind blew against the hot, bloody bodies of the two men. The smaller blonde was the worse off from the obvious fight that'd issued. His right shoulder seemed to be broken and, through the great tear in his jacket, one could clearly see a deep incision on his tummy spurt blood. The bigger raven-haired man wasn't that much better off, his left leg twisted in an odd, painful angle and a bloody gash on the side of his face.

The two panted, staring at each other and hurting less from physical wounds than the fatal wounds of the heart. Naruto's heavenly blue eyes were faded with comprehension while Sasuke's hellish black eyes were glowing with apology. Finally, with a slight nod of the head, Naruto raised a trembling hand with the last of his strength.

At the gesture, Sasuke stilled anxiously. Naruto was too weak now to make any damage and, and… the Uchiha felt that he'd deserved to be punched in the face. He goddamn deserved to receive a good beating – a better beating than he'd received the past six or seven hours – for being the monster he was. But Naruto didn't strike the raven-haired man. Instead, the blonde circled his good arm around the bigger boy's neck to pull his head down toward his own. Tilting his head up, Naruto softly planted the most endearing kiss Sasuke had ever received upon the Uchiha's bleeding lip.

"But… but… Sasuke…" Naruto whispered, the strength going out of his hand as the kiss faded. The blonde twitched and choked out blood. His hand slid off Sasuke's neck as the blonde fought against unconsciousness. "S-Sasuke…"

Sasuke was aware that there was something wet on his cheeks. It took him another moment to realize that he was crying. He was both frightened and oddly comforted by the inhuman sounds bursting from his own trembling lips. Naruto drew in a shaky breath and groaned as he moved his hand up again to gently stroke away the Uchiha's tears.

"But Sasuke. See, see…" Naruto's voice was fading away and the blonde shuddered as he forced the difficult words from his lips.

"_I can't let you go_."

Another sob wretched the Uchiha's throat and he leaned down to deliver feather-light kisses, tender and soft, upon the kitsune's bloody cheeks. Gawd – _gawd – _what had he done? What had Sasuke done to Naruto? Would he even _survive_ if he sent his blonde away? Or would he turn into a pile of ash and be lost forever to some malicious wind?

And Sasuke's lips transferred the bigger boy's doubts to the drifting kitsune. Even so close to unconsciousness, Naruto said the only words that could have sated the Uchiha's hungry, desperate ears that moment. Lips barely moving, Naruto's words were less spoken than thought.

But Sasuke heard them. Heard them because Naruto had said them. Because Naruto had thought them.

"**I will never let you go." **The blonde promised, before his heavenly blue eyes dimmed completely. The last thing that was reflected in Naruto's fading cerulean eyes was a pained look of surprise on Sasuke's glorious face.

_I will never let you go…_

Even after Naruto had fallen unconscious, Sasuke didn't stop kissing the kitsune's smudged face. In the end, the Uchiha could only convince himself to cease his kisses and actually say goodbye to his beautiful blonde when he resolved again that – yes, he owed it to Naruto to protect him from his own darkness. Because Sasuke knew he was falling. Falling into a type of darkness that could never, ever be lit again completely. And Naruto didn't belong there. His blonde belonged anywhere _but_ in darkness.

Besides…

_Naruto had promised._

* * *

Sasuke looked straightly at Sakura and told her how he'd kept hold of his sanity in those long ten years he'd lived drenched in blood. How he'd breathed when he thought he didn't deserve to breath. And how he'd lived when there had been so many opportunities to die.

_Because…_

"He'd never let go." Sasuke said simply. "He promised that he'd never let me go."

As Sasuke put into words her deepest fears, Sakura felt a million blades bury into her heart and tear it to shreds. The pink haired woman had known so very long ago that Naruto would have sacrificed everything for Sasuke. And, unlike her own efforts, Naruto's everything made a world of a difference for the Uchiha. Naruto _had_ succeeded in melting the heart of ice and breathing a soul into an empty body.

But the blonde's happy ending – and along with it, Sasuke's – had been stolen from him ten years ago and relentlessly destroyed. Hinata had asked for Naruto's deliverance from Sasuke. Tsunade had complied and erased Naruto's memory with the forbidden jutsu. The village of Konoha had wholeheartedly backed the godaime's decision and burned all pictures, ripped all documents and demolished all buildings with so much as a single fan crest on it that might prove the treacherous history of the infamous Uchiha clan had really existed.

But it was Sakura herself that had made the ultimate lie an ultimate truth. The pink-haired woman had meticulously filled all the empty spots in Naruto's memory, carefully planning out her lies to weave a 'reality'.

Her own chirpy voice echoed in her mind guiltily.

We were always a two-person team. Yes, yes. Our third member died before we shared a single mission together, remember? What was his name again? (Fittingly, there had been an unfortunate boy in their graduating year that'd passed away at the young age.) Yes, yes. Of course we used to be rivals. We fought with each other all the time – though that all changed when you fell in love with me… Right, deny it _now_. Ha ha. Oh please – your Chakra control is still horrible! You are such a baka! Yes, I remember that time with Haku. And you also fought Orochimaru to save me… I know, Naruto. I know. You are my precious person too, Naruto. _You are my best friend._

Best friend. She'd made herself Naruto's best friend by stepping into where Sasuke had once existed. Hinata had replaced Sasuke in Naruto's life, but Sakura had replaced Sasuke in Naruto's _mind_. The pink-haired woman had joined their lives more tightly together for his sake – and for her own – to seal the painfully empty, blatantly insubstantial spaces in their pasts and to help them live on with their futures. And, for her efforts, Naruto had given her his highest friendship. Sakura had reveled in the blonde's love because –

Because –

Naruto _was_ her precious person. He wouldn't reject her – couldn't reject her. And he'd never leave. _Never let her stand alone_. So, in that aspect, their friendship was what kept Sakura strong after Sasuke's departure. Naruto rested in that empty place in Sakura's heart that Sasuke had never taken care to fill – never _wanted_ to fill.

Naruto was so very different from Sasuke.

The pink-haired woman gently took the raven-haired man's hand in hers and held them steadily, her convictions renewed. Naruto and Sasuke's bond had been effectively torn. All that was left for her to do now was sweep away the shards and make it seem as though none of this had been.

Sakura would end everything _now_.

"Sasuke-kun, Naruto couldn't keep his promise to you because – " Sakura forced the sticky vile words from her mouth. "Because – why would he keep a promise to someone he doesn't know exists? Because – because – Sasuke-kun – "

Sakura met the horrified eyes of the one Uchiha Sasuke and smoothly told him the cruel secret she'd been keeping for the last ten years.

"In his mind, you don't exist. Ten years ago, Tsunade sensei erased all memory that Naruto ever had of you. She made it the law for every ninja in Konoha to never speak of you – never mention you – to him or to anyone in case the words returned to his ears. Ten years ago, we made sure that Naruto wouldn't be able to keep any promises he made with you, Sasuke-kun."

Her voice was beautiful while she said the most gruesome, ugly words.

"_So, ten years ago, Naruto stopped loving you._"

* * *

"Chi chi!" Amoto pounded his fist against the door of his parent's bedroom. The dark-haired boy complained loudly, never minding the fact that the 'morning' was still dark enough to see stars, "Aawh, come on pops! You promised to help me with my shuriken practice before you go to work today!"

When he was still met with silence, Amoto's eyebrow twitched irritably. "Fine! If yer going to sleep like a lump all day, yer totally asking for it!"

The little boy's white fingers quickly twirled and twisted in to the seals of the ox and he cackled menacingly to himself before muttering, "Doton: Tsuji no jut – "

"And just what are you going to do with a earth element jutsu, Amoto?"

"AGH!"

Nearly jumping out of his skin, Amoto whirled around to see Hinata softly smiling at him in amusement in the dim light of the hallway. His mother still looked tired, like she had last night, but her features weren't as tense as it'd been. A dark blush colored the ivory features.

"Kaa-san!" Amoto blubbered, glancing from his mother to the closed door behind him. "W-why are you here and not in bed?"

"I should be asking you the same thing." Hinata giggled.

"Er, I, er, well…" A dark blush spread over Amoto's pale features. "Um, lotsa mud. Jii jii go gurgle, gurgle and then wakey, wakey? Ah! But dun worry! I wasn't going to let the mud touch you, kaa-san. And-and I was going to clean the mud stains afterwards – honest!"

Just how he planned to have done this completely evaded Amoto's mind as he grinned confidently at his mother. Hinata's heart twanged in fond love for the boy scratching his head sheepishly and laughing awkwardly in front of her. This beautiful, heavenly child was her proof, wasn't he? Amoto's very existence proved that Naruto did love her…

Instinctively, Hinata's arms encircled her son's shoulders and she pulled him to her in a warm, strong hug.

"Let's let your father sleep, Amoto. He's tired." Hinata spoke quietly into Amoto's dark locks.

"Okay." Amoto nodded, returning Hinata's embrace. His mother smelled like lilies. And a hint of cream. Burying his face against Hinata's dress, Amoto let his mother caress his hair with tender fingers that could only belong to a woman who dearly loved her son with everything she had.

"Maybe I can help you practice, Amoto." Hinata offered helpfully.

At that, Amoto jerked away from Hinata to furiously shake his head so hard that his hair whipped against his face. "No! You can't see till I can do it perfect! I'm only gonna show you after I beat jii jii at shuriken fighting!"

Hinata laughed again and lightly pointed out, "Your father _is_ the hokage, Amoto. It might take awhile to beat him."

"Maybe a few days." Amoto agreed. With that, he started towards the front halls. After nearly stumbling on his face for no apparent reason, Amoto paused – feigning that he meant to stop – and muttered, "Er… I want eggs for breakfast when I get back, okay?"

Hinata giggled, seeing through her son's poor acting.

Amoto, at the young and innocent age of four, had looked around at his friends and decided that the prettiest girl he'd ever seen was not among them but Hyuuga Hinata instead. So, he'd gone ahead and asked his mother's hand in marriage over dinner. Promptly, Naruto's fist had connected with his son's head and Amoto fled to Hinata's arms with two or three lumps rising from beneath his blue-black hair.

"Baka! Your mother's already married!" Naruto exclaimed hotly.

Amoto had felt betrayed by this comment. "She is? How come I wasn't there? When?"

"Before you were born, idiot."

"To who?" Amoto exclaimed, looking up to Hinata for confirmation. When the beautiful woman tilted her head in a nod, Amoto's blue eyes rounded in anger. And he'd thought his mother liked him the best!

"What to you mean to who? To me, of course." Naruto had said curtly.

And from that moment on, Amoto had declared his father his eternal rival. Of course, Amoto had long since figured out that his mother and father were happily married (and he'd been born because of it) and his marrying his mother would thus not be a good idea. But it didn't stop his innate inclination to want to keep his suave image in front of his adored mother.

"It's still a little dark outside." Hinata called after her son, worriedly glancing out the window. It seemed like it was four - or five - in the morning. "Maybe you should use the Hyuuga training halls instead."

"I'll stay close to home. I promise." Amoto replied and disappeared around the corner.

Hinata looked after her son, wondering for a short second if she really should accompany him. But knowing Amoto to keep his promises, Hinata turned back to creak the room of their bedroom open. Crossing over the spaciousness of the light wooden floor, Hinata pulled back the feathery veil surrounding the huge futon where she and Naruto slept and looked down at her husband's sleeping features.

Naruto's sun-streaked hair spilled upon the ivory satin of the pillows and his long lashes rested peacefully against golden-brown of his cheeks. Losing her breath for a minute in her husband's raw sensual features, Hinata trailed a tentative finger against the blond man's smooth jaw line and down across his elegant neck. Her hand moved gently under the covers to trace against the warm bronze chest and rested above his heart. The gorgeous thumping of his heart echoed against the pale woman's hand and her own heart fluttered.

Crawling into bed on the other side of him, Hinata buried her face against her love's shoulder. Naruto responded, even in his deep sleep, by drawing the woman closer with a strong arm. Hinata sighed and let her eyes close on a dream-like reality to fall into a fitful sleep filled with nightmares.

* * *

"Naruto! Naruto! Oh my _god_, please! _Please_! Naruto!"

Her screams were nearly drowned in the thunder that was instantly followed the bolt of lightening across the sky. Only because of her byakugan could she see the blond so clearly in the darkness of the storm. His white hospital clothes were drenched in rain and his ankles and wrists were raw from where the skin had torn away. He was limping, but somehow still moving fast.

"NARUTO! NARUTO!" Hinata wailed, doubling her speed. "STOP! PLEASE!"

But the blond couldn't hear her words. Even if the storm had quieted, he wouldn't have heard her words. Because Naruto only listened to _his_ words – that demon's words – and Hinata's voice was noiseless in comparison.

The slim black woman tackled the blond and they both fell into the mud of the forest trail. Naruto's body was burning in fever and Hinata desperately heaved his body around so that his face wasn't buried in the dirt. Blood was trickling from the blonde's nose and mouth and dying the front of his shirt red.

Naruto tried to say something but just gurgled out hot red liquid. His hand trailed up to finger Hinata's black hair curiously – the trembling finger wrapping the lock around and around – till disappointment entered those cerulean eyes upon realization. The blonde promptly lost consciousness after another retching of dark black blood.

And Hinata screamed.

* * *

"Wake up, Hinata-chan!" Naruto lightly shook his wife's small, quaking frame. "Wake up! You're having a nightmare!"

The dark-haired woman's eyes flew open. The first thing that was reflected in their pearly depths was the heavenly blue of Naruto's wonderfully soothing eyes. Hinata blinked in surprise and felt two tears trickle down her cheeks.

"Na-Naruto-kun…"

"Ba-ka-!" Naruto laughed, drawing the small woman off the bed to gather her into his arms. Squeezing her shoulders, he joked lightly, "How long are you planning on having these nightmares? We are adults already, if you haven't noticed."

Hinata nodded quietly. Her jagged breath was evening out in the force of Naruto's embrace. Without this man, she could never ever wake up from her dark dreams. If Naruto left, she'd drown in nightmares.

* * *

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun." Sakura smiled at the dark-haired shinobi. He'd slept - or actually, hadn't slept - in her bed last night while she'd brooded on her couch in the living room all night. And now, she greeted him as if there was nothing wrong because she didn't know what else to do.

The pink-haired woman help up a small bowlful of miso soup and asked, "Do you want breakfast, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke stared at her and shook his head. Promptly, he said, "I'll be leaving, then."

Sakura's hand reflexively shot out - as if to stop him - but she forced it to fall useless to her side. The pink-haired woman couldn't even began to guess what the stoic man was thinking because his mask that'd slipped away last night when she'd told him what'd happened was firmly back in place. He announced his leaving as if it hadn't been Sakura's idea but his own.

Sakura swallowed. After a short silence, she asked a question that she already knew the answer to.

"Sasuke-kun?"

His black eyes found her green ones and held. Yes, it was safe to talk. He was listening.

"Can I... er, I mean... " Sakura swallowed thickly again.

"Yes?"

"Let me come with you!" Sakura blurted, her heart thumping wildly.

Sasuke's expression didn't even flicker.

"Please?"

"You are really annoying." Sasuke replied. A boyish smirk that was now so very unused dawned awkwardly on his features. Sakura knew that, if anything, this was the extent of Sasuke's kindness to her. He'd mitigated his millionth rejection - his final rejection - of her heart by pretending they were still children and she wasn't offering him a matured devotion.

But though this meant he was caring in his own way towards her and though the answer had been so very obvious, Sakura couldn't help feeling hurt.

"Do you know where you'll go?" Sakura asked lamely to fill up the awkwardness.

"No."

The answer was instantaneous. And why wouldn't it be? Sakura bit her lip and turned her head away.

"Good bye, Sasuke-kun."

"Ja."

Sakura found herself crying once _again_. She ruefully made excuses to herself as she rubbed at the familiar tears. She cried because Sasuke was leaving and her fantasies lay in shatters because she herself had crushed them. She cried because that was always the only thing she could do. Cry because Sasuke-kun wouldn't cry. And cry because Naruto didn't know to cry.

When her tears had finally abetted and she turned around to look again, Sasuke-kun was gone. Only an empty wind trickled into her empty room through her open window. As it had always been.

_As it always should be._

* * *

"Hey, Sasuke?"

Naruto shifted his head off the pillow and rested it upon Sasuke's shoulder. The blonde locks brushed the underside of the raven-haired boy's chin. Sasuke lifted a hand to wrap and unwrap the soft blonde tresses around his long, white finger. In reply, Naruto's fingers traveled up the other man's chest to press against a naked nipple. Sasuke hissed in pleasure.

"What is it dobe?" The Uchiha replied at last, recovering from the distraction.

"I knew you weren't sleeping yet."

Naruto was grinning. Sasuke could hear the fox grin in the smaller boy's voice even in the dark and he smirked. The stoic boy waited patiently for the kitsune to stop teasing his nipple between his fingers and continue talking.

"I had a question." Naruto finally said.

"You always have stupid questions."

"They aren't stupid!" Naruto's fingers were off the Uchiha's chest as the blonde drew himself off the bed in indignation. "And you haven't even heard this one yet!"

"So stop screaming and tell me already." Sasuke growled. If there was one thing Sasuke hated, it was being interrupted in playing with Naruto's hair. Pulling Naruto back on top of him, the Uchiha resumed toying with blonde tresses while the Uchiha's other hand guided the kitsune's fingers back onto his chest.

"Hmph." Naruto bristled. Suddenly, the blonde tugged aggressively on the pale boy's nipple and Sasuke didn't have the chance to check the gasp that escaped his lips. The Uchiha glared into the dark at Naruto.

Seemingly appeased by the other boy's loss of cool, the kitsune started, "Neh, Sasuke. I was wondering about…"

A pause.

Then, shyly, "Sex."

Sasuke laughed out loud at that.

"For god's sakes, dobe. A little late for that question, doncha think? What did you think we were doing tonight – playing checkers? And what about the night before that? And the night before that? Or, wait. We didn't do it that night cos we did it in the afternoon…"

This time, Sasuke heard Naruto blush. Smiling into the dark sadistically, Sasuke pulled on the golden locks with renewed vigor. Stupid dobe. So cute…

"No, baka." Naruto fumed. "N-not sex with each other. Sex with other people!"

Sasuke's fingers stopped in mid-tug as his smile was wiped cleanly off his ivory features. Wait, what? Sex with… _other_ people? What the fuck was the usuratonkachi getting off about?

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Sasuke reached out an arm to click on the lamp at their bedside. Naruto complained about the sudden light but Sasuke ignored him. Getting on fours to fully face the dobe, Sasuke spoke coolly.

"Sex with what other people, dobe?"

"Wha – huh?" Naruto blinked up in surprise at the furious vehement in the dark eyes.

"Don't act dumb all of a sudden." Sasuke spat acidly. "Sex with who besides me are you talking about?"

"Er duur…" Naruto coughed, his smooth brow furrowing in confusion. When Sasuke continued to glare, a light of realization entered the blue eyes and it was the kitsune's turn to laugh. Naruto's arms shot out to wrap lovingly around Sasuke's neck.

"Not me! Sasuke-baka!" Naruto grinned into the pale skin. "You! I was wondering if you had sex with other people – before me!"

At those words, Sasuke visibly relaxed into the embrace. Hugging the blonde tightly, Sasuke drank in the warm musky scent and felt his cock twitch underneath the covers where Naruto's bare leg was brushing against it. Pretending to think, Sasuke finally spoke.

"Sakura."

"WHAT?" Naruto tried to jerk out of the raven-haired boy's embrace at the sudden confession, but Sasuke held tight – all the while continuing.

"And Ino. And Hinata too. Oh yes, and Gaara at some point in time. And, ah, Kakashi sensei. But I dun think Kabuto and Orochimaru count because that was kinda one-sided…"

"SASUKEYOUPERVICAN'TBELIEVEYOUSLEPTWITH_EVERYONE_BEFOREMEAND…WAIT!DOESTHATMEANYOUWERERAPEDBYOROCHIMARU?ICAN'TBELIEVETHATSNAKEBASTARD!I'MGONNAKILLHIMAFTERIKILLYOU!WAIT,HE'SALREADYDEAD!DAMM-"

Sasuke cut off Naruto's flood of words with a swift kiss.

"Don't kiss me with your soiled, dirty lips, you bastard!" Naruto barked, trying to rip away from unmoving arms.

"Dobe, I'm just joking." Sasuke scoffed. "I was a virgin when you jumped me that time."

At that, Naruto nonplussed in remembrance and turned a bright crimson. Sasuke laughed and moved into kiss the now more willing lips. A feather's breath away from contact, Sasuke suddenly stopped and frowned.

"What about you, usuratonkachi?"

"What about me?" Naruto asked, though the words were distorted because the blonde was now licking Sasuke's lips.

"Did you sleep with some other bitch or bastard that I should know about?"

A pause of tongue. Then, "Nope."

"Good."

"But I did sleep with some other bitch or bastard that I'd rather you didn't know about." Naruto added impishly.

"That's not funny, dobe."

"S'true. You try traveling around with Jiraya. You go to all these kinky places and it's virtually impossible to keep your virginity intact. Those sexy nee-chan's really know their stuff…" Naruto looked up in mid-lie to see Sasuke hyperventilating darkly. Not knowing when enough was enough, the dobe continued poking Sasuke where it hurt. "…and there was this one nee-chan. Gawd, her breasts! They were like basketballs, I swear. And she just – "

"Fine."

Naruto blinked up and slightly paled when he saw the evil glint in Sasuke's dark, determined eyes. Why was Sasuke suddenly stretching his muscles as if he was going to exercise? And why was Naruto suddenly aware of the fact that they were both very naked?

"If you aren't going to tell me the truth, I'm going to screw it out of you." Sasuke said curtly.

Naruto laughed nervously. "That's a colloquial term, right? I-it doesn't mean you are really gonna screw me, r-right?"

The blonde received his answer when Sasuke promptly turned off the lamp and flipped the blonde onto his stomach. It took only a second for the Naruto to realize that maybe his joke really hadn't been funny.

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Did you scream like that for your sexy nee-chan, I wonder."

"I'm sorr – I – Uwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!"

* * *

Naruto moved stealthily through the tops of trees. He'd taken to using rooftops and branches as his main routes of travel because his walking through the streets usually warranted awed stares by the academy ninja, shy glances from the genins and young jounins, and respectable bows and murmured 'hokage-sama's from the adult ninja. And walking on a pedestal all the time was unnerving, even to the attention-loving blonde.

To the villagers of Konoha, the rokudaime roughly equated a young god. Not only had he effectively subdued the Sound and killed Orochimaru, the hokage paralleled yondaime in his military strategy and fighting genius. Despite his war-related talents as a ninja, the hokage maintained a strong friendship with the kazekage and Fire Country and Wind Country remained on wonderful relations. On top of that, many people's favorite celebrity scandal was the mizukage's terrific crush on the hokage – so much could be said for diplomacy…

The hokage's domestic landmarks consisted of harmonizing the relationship between the Hyuuga main family and branch family, improving training for medical ninjas, and strengthening the surveillance searching out missing nins. However, if one asked the average passerby, they would usually comment on the fact that his wife was the beautiful Hyuuga Hinata (the public usually love glamour couples), the various pranks and by-your-leaves the hokage liked to pull (the press especially adored Naruto for his ability to fill front pages) and, if the passerby was a woman, how nice his face looked carved up on the mountain (er;;;).

Naruto jumped fluidly to the next branch and wondered why he felt oddly unsettled in going to meet this Uchiha Sasuke again. He had butterflies in his stomach as if he were still an academy ninja. Gawd – Maybe the pained look that'd entered Hinata's eyes when he'd gotten out of bed to change, informing his wife that he had to meet Sasuke, had something to do with it. The blonde felt his insides twist guiltily.

"But it's not like she's going to tell me the whole story." Naruto muttered to himself.

The night prior, when Naruto had forced Hinata to speak, the small woman had trembled in silence for a long time. But when Naruto pleaded once again, Hinata finally opened her lips to speak…

* * *

"Na-Naruto-kun. He – Uchiha Sasuke – is – when, when you were in the hospital for a long time? Do you remember when you were there for – "

"For nearly six months. Aa." Naruto had nodded, grimacing in memory. "Gawd, I'd never been confined to bed for so long! What with Kyuubi and all…"

"He did it." Hinata blurted.

"What?"

"Sasuke did it. Y-you fought him, Naruto-kun, and he, he left you in that state at the doorsteps of the hospital."

Naruto stared at his wife in shock, momentarily losing his ability to speak. Finally, the blonde found his voice and croaked. "But I was attacked by a group of missing nins during a training mission and… you…"

"Tsunade erased your memory be-because – I - Because I - !" The woman's pearly depths were desperate as they stared into her husband's fixed gaze, searching, searching, "I – I had to keep you from going back to Uchiha Sasuke. I-I thought – I _knew_ – you wouldn't c-come back alive if you l-left again, Naruto-kun, and if you died I couldn't – I can't – "

Hinata's voice was swallowed in her emotions as her gaze finally found what they were searching for in Naruto's eyes of heaven. Understanding. And forgiveness. Naruto didn't hate her for what she'd done. Hinata's heart started to breathe again.

"I knew it had to be something like that." Naruto sipped his tea and smiled crookedly at Hinata. "I knew it _had_ to be something like that…"

Naruto seemed as relieved in delivering his pardon as much as Hinata felt relieved in receiving it. Hinata reached out to hold his hand and Naruto intertwined their fingers. A familiar calm, like the warmth encasing the hot tea, rested upon the young couple.

Till the blonde thought out aloud. "But, you didn't say why I wanted to go back for him in the first place. Revenge couldn't have been the only thing. And the necklace…"

Naruto looked up hopefully at his wife, but Hinata wasn't meeting his gaze anymore. The blonde sighed.

"I am going to speak with him in the morning."

Hinata twitched visibly at that, but didn't say anything more. And Naruto didn't ask anything more.

* * *

Naruto dropped onto the branch next to Sakura's bedroom.

"Sakura-chan! It's me, Naruto! Sakura-chan!"

The blonde curtly knocked on the closed window. Inside, he heard a sudden rustling followed by a frantic scream. Soon, the window was thrust open by the pink-haired woman still in her nightclothes. Her hair was mussed as if she'd just gotten up.

"Naruto!" Sakura's brows were knitted in apprehension. "He's gone! I think I dozed off for a little bit and he's not here anymore!"

"What?" Naruto's eyes flew open in shock. When the pink-haired woman quickly made way for him, the kitsune jumped in through the windows. The bed where he'd laid the man the night prior was empty. But Naruto already knew that – he'd already sensed the man wasn't here.

Bitter disappointment flushed his guts.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I should have stayed by his side the whole time." Sakura repented. "It – I – he just brought back too many memories and I couldn't stay in the same room with him… I didn't expect him to take off when his wounds are still not fully – "

But Naruto didn't hear her finish the rest of her well-acted alibi. The blonde had already turned on his heels and was rushing off in search of Sasuke. But Sakura knew the kitsune's search would be fruitless. It was around six-thirty. More than two hours had passed since the raven-haired man's departure and Sasuke would be long gone by now.

_And Sasuke no longer had reason to come back_.

* * *

All reviews and comments are welcome!


	4. The Reason

**Disclaimer:** Naruto is drawn and written by a fantastically splendid, wonderfully cute, and very talented manga artist Masashi Kishimoto. (Obviously, I don't own it.) On top of that, I don't own the terrific song, Give You Back by Vertical Horizon, which I listened to over and over while writing this fiction.

**In the Previous Chapter: **Ten years ago, Sasuke – in a morbid attempt to protect Naruto from his darkness – left the injured blonde on the doorsteps of the hospital. Because of this, Hinata begged Tsunade to erase Naruto's memory of Sasuke. Trying to recollect a missing piece of his life, Naruto chases after Sasuke – who is no longer in Konoha.

**Chapter Four Rating:** PG13 (for language and sexual implications)

**My E-mail:** rosesareblue at ymail dot com (e-mail me with any comments or suggestions. Remember, there's nothing like feedback that improves an author's moral/writing.)

**Give You Back**

_A SasuNaru Fic_

**by rosesareblue**

_That's enough _

_Just talking about it_

Give You Back by Vertical Horizon

**Chapter Four: You're the Reason**

If you did not read the warning, go back and do so now. Often, people review about this problem and a simple solution is already given.

Amoto winced in pain as scorching pain wrapped more tightly around his slender ankle. The child drew his left leg closer to his chest and panted from moving against the excruciating sensation. White and black flashes altered before his dizzy eyes.

He'd overdone it. He'd wanted to make his shuriken fall directly on the target behind the huge boulder (He'd been at it all morning for god's sakes and unless he got his act together, he'd never catch up to his father at this pace!) and he'd succeeded at last. He'd twisted his leg at the last second to shift the weight on his upper body and the shuriken had neatly embedded itself into the desired target behind the boulder with a satisfying sound of tearing of wood.

But immediately his success had been followed by a crunching noise and Amoto realized the price he'd paid for the one decent shot was his ankle – which was twisted back so that his foot nearly bent onto his shins. Amoto grimaced again but felt that it was a fair trade – the shuriken success and his anklebone.

The only problem would be – how'd he get home in this state?

The dark-haired boy bit into his lip against the pain and wondered if he could will his body to move despite the broken ankle. Deciding that it was worth a shot, he pushed off the ground mightily and immediately fell face down into the dirt.

Damnit.

Tears welled up in Amoto's blue eyes and threatened to spill over. Kuso! He couldn't cry! A ninja stronger than the hokage did – not – cry – ! Amoto drew in a sharp breath and was glad his mother hadn't come with him to witness his pathetic state.

Kaa-san! His mother would be worried about him and might even come to look for him… but she didn't know where Amoto's secret shuriken training ground was. The child had randomly wandered into this abandoned clearing and had discovered the dusty targets. He'd not told anyone about this place because he'd wanted to master his shuriken skills alone… Gah! He had to get back!

His determination renewed, Amoto tried to struggle to his feet again only to pitch forward once more. The dark-haired boy closed his eyes against the impact with the dirt but none came.

Amoto blinked and realized that he was in someone's warm arms before promptly passing out from pain.

* * *

Naruto jumped from branch to branch, red chakra leaking out of him in his absolute anger.

"He's gone! I think I dozed off for a little bit and he's not here anymore!"

Sakura's words echoed in his mind as he hurried through the forest. It was so very clear to the blonde that the pink-haired woman had been pretending just now because he knew, now, to look for it. Didn't Sakura know that there'd been tears in her eyes and pain in her expression as she lied out rightly to him?

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I should have stayed by his side the whole time."

Had she always been pretending to him? Had his best friend been acting for the last ten years? She'd been rotting in a lie to protect him from Uchiha Sasuke? And Hinata – she'd kept this crucial secret from him even before they were even married – Naruto felt the guilt swell and churn in his heart and make his mind obsolete. Why hadn't he noticed something was missing? Why the fuck hadn't he done anything to save the two people he cared about the most in the world from having to live a lie for ten years?

Had he – had a small part of him –

_Always adored this lie?_

Naruto had to find Uchiha Sasuke. Quickly.

* * *

Sasuke glanced down at the unconscious child in his arms. The raven-haired man's gaze trailed the slickness of the small jaw, the precise angle of the chin, and the curve of the plump lips. Every detail – all of it – was Naruto's. The beauty of the sleeping child was Naruto's.

The Uchiha's mouth felt incredibly dry as he continued to just stand – not knowing what to do but stare at Uzumaki Amoto. This child only existed because Naruto loved Hinata and yet – and yet, this child was perfection, wasn't he? Yes, the child's existence was perfection. And Naruto and Hinata's love was – was –

For a minute, a crazed thought exploded in the Uchiha's mind. He'd flee Konoha – with the child! And Naruto – Naruto would come looking for his son, wouldn't he? Naruto would chase after Sasuke for Amoto… And then, maybe – maybe then, Naruto would – would –

_Would what?_

Sasuke bitterly shook out of his momentarily delusion. There was nothing. Sasuke could expect nothing more from Naruto. Sasuke hoisted Amoto so that the child rested in a more comfortable position in his arms and sighed. He'd return the child to the Hyuuga household – perhaps get a glimpse of Naruto again – and leave like he'd promised Sakura. There was nothing to hope for. Nothing. _Nothing_.

As the raven-haired man turned to leave the clearing that many years back his older brother and he had used to practice kunai throwing, he found himself facing a beautiful blonde woman.

Tsunade tugged a stray lock behind her ear and sighed. "What happened to that promise about leaving Konoha forever, Sasuke? Or, perhaps, you only care to keep promises with a certain person…"

Sasuke stiffened at the insinuation and his dark eyes grew sharp. After a long threatening pause, he spoke curtly, "I'm taking the boy back."

Tsunade smiled wryly. "You know as well as I do that Amoto is just an excuse." Tsunade took a small step toward the Uchiha and extended her hands. "I'm here to make that excuse obsolete. Give the child to me."

The Uchiha's eyes flashed red, but after a controlled breath, returned to obsidian black. A spasm of fear shot up Tsunade's spine and she struggled not to show it. The Sharingan appeared with even the slightest change in the raven-haired man's chakra – Sasuke had grown even more powerful over the years. Of course, he'd killed Itachi with this freakish strength…

Ignoring the blonde woman's out-reached hand, Sasuke started to step past Tsunade.

Tsunade dropped her lightly shaking hands and spoke quietly. "Tell me, Sasuke. Which do you want more? Naruto's love or – " Tsunade's voice dipped to a breath above a whisper. " – or his happiness?"

Sasuke stopped in his tracks as his ears unwillingly drank in the blonde woman's words.

"Because, I assure you, you can never have both."

"What are you saying?" Sasuke shifted back and spat.

Tsunade's empty smile returned, "Maybe I'll share with you an interesting lesson about the human psyche… After all," Tsunade stared meaningfully at Sasuke, "Youths know too dangerously little about how the human mind – and the human heart – works."

Sasuke glared. "Just speak."

"Let me heal the boy while I tell you – his ankle is hurt badly."

After a suspicious glance, Sasuke reluctantly placed the boy in Tsunade's arms. The blonde woman gently placed Amoto on the dirt and bent over the child, thanking the gods that she didn't have to face the Uchiha while she told her story.

"Do you care to guess why the villagers accepted a demon to be their rokudaime, Sasuke?" Tsunade ventured after a long intake of breath.

"Naruto's not a – "

"To the villagers, he was for over twenty years." Tsunade interrupted the Uchiha's outburst, bitterly. "And, you see, the human mind is nowhere as near capricious as the human heart."

The blonde woman's words stung. Sasuke glanced away and guessed, "Be-because Naruto killed Orochimaru…"

"That's one of the reasons, of course, but it took a lot more for the villagers to wholeheartedly accept Naruto…" Tsunade's voice was distinctly hollow. Though Amoto's ankle was no longer swollen now, the blonde woman continued to relay curative chakra upon the wound and refused to look up into the burning black eyes of the Uchiha.

"Another big reason would be because most of Naruto's friends hold the most respected positions in the village and their attitudes toward Naruto changed many of the villagers' thinking. Yet another would undoubtedly be Naruto's marrying into the Hyuuga clan. Of all people Sasuke, you must know of the scope of power a noble bloodline invokes."

Sasuke didn't want to know of any reason to appreciate the wench that'd tainted _his_ blonde. So he quickly insisted, "And, what else?"

There was a long hesitation before Tsunade finally spoke. And when she did, her voice shook so much that it was hard to understand.

"B-but most importantly…m-most importantly… Th-the best way to forget a p-past love is to, is to love again. An-and the best way for-for the public to forget a c-criminal is to find another to blame. In this case, that 'another' w-was- "

The woods were totally silent – save Tsunade's voice.

"N-Naruto disappeared after killing Orochimaru – I suspect he was with you, Sasuke – and passing time h-helps to dim mem-memories. So when, when, Naruto came back – te-terribly injured – I, I, thou-thought, it was for the best to – to erase his memory of you. I ordered all traces of the Uchiha clan to be destroyed. Itachi was a traitor to Konoha. And you-you had affiliation with the Sound. People were already s-suspicious and I did nothing to hinder this type of propaganda from spr-spreading – helped it even. The villagers came to believe – believe that – that – the demon of Konoha was not the Kyuubi that rested in Naruto, but the blood of the Uchiha clan…

"Sasuke, you are the reason that Naruto could rise to become the hokage."

* * *

"Say, Tsunade ba-ba."

Tsunade looked up at the eager twelve-year-old before ducking her head to return to her paperwork. "What is it, brat?"

Naruto briefly glared at the beautiful blonde woman before wondering out loud.

"Do you think that, um, that the, er, hokage can, er – " Naruto fidgeted, looking down at his toes.

Tsunade impatiently slammed her palms against her desk. "Just spit it out, runt!"

"I wanted ta know if the hokage could, er, marry anyone he – I mean she! – she wants." Naruto said in a rush.

Tsunade stared at the blonde sourly before hissing, "Is this some implication to me to get married, because, if it is, you are going to learn the hard way why some people consider that matter personal…" Tsunade trailed off menacingly, cracking her knuckles.

Naruto paled and tried to laugh it off. "It's got nothing to do with that, I swear! I was just asking, cos, cos, I'm gonna be hokage one day and, um, I, er…"

But this was so precious! Tsunade's eyes glinted evilly as she leaned forward over her paperwork to scrutinize the blonde's crimson features as though the name of the girl Naruto had a crush on was written on his forehead.

"Sure, brat, the hokage can marry anyone he – oops, I meant she – wants." Tsunade drawled.

"Really!" Naruto's blue eyes opened wide in happiness.

"Really." Tsunade nodded firmly.

"Anyone?"

"Anyone."

"Even bo – bo – " Naruto flushed. "Even, er, bo-boring people?"

Tsunade furrowed her brow. "Why would you want to marry a boring person? Seriously, runt. Tell me what poor girl is the object of your desires."

"He's not – I mean, she – SHE! – isn't a poor…poor person." Naruto flushed again, before turning to hurriedly exit the hokage's office. "Thanks for answering my question, Tsunade ba-ba. Ja!"

Tsunade blinked after the dobe. Naruto wanted to marry… to marry…

"SASUKE! I TALKED TO THE TSUNADE BA-BA! WE CAN GO NOW!"

"Stop screaming, dobe."

"Don't call me dobe!"

"Whatever… dobe."

"TEME!"

* * *

Naruto burst into a clearing – far from the center of Konoha – and found Tsunade, standing stiffly with Amoto in her arms. At the blonde's appearance, the buxom woman smiled wearily.

"Good morning, hokage-sama."

"Tsunade ba-ba." Naruto panted, gesturing with his eyes to Amoto. "Is something wrong?"

"Your son is as accident-prone as you are." Tsunade cooed fondly. "But he's fine now."

"Ah, that's good." Naruto replied swiftly. "Listen, Tsunade ba-ba, could you take him home for me? I, er, I was going to – "

"No, Naruto." Tsunade spoke curtly. "I think _you_ should take your son home. Take Amoto and return to Hinata."

Naruto blinked at Tsunade's slightly accented tone. After a short silence, he spoke sharply, "Was it really necessary to erase my memory of Uchiha Sasuke, Tsunade ba-ba."

The blonde woman didn't blink an eye at the abrupt question. "Yes."

Naruto drew his lips into a stubborn line and hissed, "How so?"

Tsunade lifted her chin defiantly and said clearly, as though she was reading from a book, "You entered the hospital in a critical condition. Your right shoulder bone was in splinters and the bone fractures had slit more than a few vital veins. You were missing some of your intestinal organs. Yet you somehow moved your body outside the hospital no less than twenty-six times – sometimes even leaving the Village of Konoha entirely. We tied your arms and legs to the bed and still you rubbed off the bonded skin and went to search for a man who'd already sold his soul to the devil. You seemed determined to die and the only thing amazing about it is that you didn't succeed. So, yes, hokage-sama, it was necessary."

Naruto had no words to answer the sudden flood of confessions. He opened his mouth only to close it again. Finally, after a long silence, he sighed – briefly closing his frustrated blue eyes – and came forth to take the child from Tsunade.

"You belong to more than yourself now, Naruto." Tsunade whispered. "You are the father of this child and the husband of a woman who loves you with her entire being. And – you are the hokage of Konoha. Your death is no longer your choice."

Tsunade slid Amoto into Naruto's arms. Naruto's heart was beating so loudly that it distorted his perception of reality. He realized faintly that Tsunade was crying.

"Erase the limited memory of that man you gain through this short time yourself, Naruto." Tsunade murmured. "Erase him and live."

Naruto swallowed thickly. He parted his lips, slowly, difficultly, and was about to utter soulless words when pale fingers pressed against his lips.

"Chi chi..." Amoto began softly. "Chi chi?"

"Wh-what is it, son." Naruto's voice was thicker than usual.

"That way." Amoto reached out, pointing into the density of trees. "Uchiha-san went that way."

"Amoto!" Tsunade exclaimed, her eyes flying open in surprise. "What are you – "

"He holds me so I can hear the beating of his heart, jii jii." Amoto interrupted the horrified woman and timidly met his father's blue eyes. Apprehension was shining in the little boy's own blue eyes. "So that my head rests against his left chest. So that one hand is on my head. Like you are doing now."

"_Chi chi, Uchiha-san holds me exactly like you do."_

* * *

"So, um, Sasuke?"

"Hmm?"

The boys were lying on the grass, a tangle of limbs. Unusually, it was not the aftermath of sex. They'd been sparring and after Sasuke had bested Naruto – 6 to 4 – Naruto had decided to evade reality altogether and lied down on the grass to do some cloud-watching. Sasuke had sprawled out next to the blonde dobe. Stray kisses had led to random wrestling and, now, both were too tired to move.

Naruto rubbed his hand up and down, brushing expertly against Sasuke's clothed thigh. "I was wondering what we were going to do after we kill Itachi."

Sasuke snorted while simultaneously spreading his legs for Naruto to get easier access. "Run around in hell?"

Naruto snickered. "Obviously, I was assuming we'd live to have a future when I asked the question."

"That's a big assumption." Sasuke muttered, concentrating on Naruto's hand moving higher up on his thigh. "Oi, dobe. Should I take off my pants or something?"

The blonde frowned, aghast. The stroking stopped abruptly. "Are you serious?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and closed his legs around Naruto's hand. "Aren't you? Isn't that why _your_ hand is _here_?"

Naruto pursed his lips and said crisply. "As if you have stamina left to screw me, bastard."

"Just because you are tired, doesn't mean I am." The raven-haired boy scoffed. "But, s'okay. You can just lie on your stomach and I'll do the work. I'll even take off your pants for you." The Uchiha added, generously.

"Shut up." Naruto grunted as Sasuke started to chuckle at the blush that claimed the tan face. "You know, bastard, you better thank kami-sama that you are goddamn sexy because you really have this major personality problem."

"You like it just as much as I do when we get started." Sasuke pointed out, a little irritably. "Why you put up such a fight ahead of time is a pain-in-the-ass mystery."

"_Plus_," Naruto snapped primly. "My muscles are too sore today so you can go masturbate in some corner or something, you perverted jerk."

Immediately, Sasuke dragged his body up. Propping up the squeaking smaller boy as well, the Uchiha went to work massaging Naruto's shoulders. The blonde groaned thickly and leaned comfortably back against his lover's chest.

"Sa-sasuke."

"Hmm?"

"Seriously, what are you going to do if we manage to kill Itachi and live."

Silence.

Then, "Resurrect the clan."

Naruto yawned. "Right. So, um, would that be with Sakura-chan? Or Ino?"

Sasuke stopped in mid-squeeze and frowned darkly. "Why are they in my unlikely-future-after-Itachi?"

"Having your children." Naruto said matter-of-factly and couldn't help adding, "Duh."

There was another long pause before the Uchiha finally spoke.

"Naruto. Can't you get a womb off the black market or something? Or maybe I can ride your ass while you are in sexy-no-jutsu and it'd work…"

"Sasuke, babies aren't made through 'riding asses'."

"… Er, I knew that."

"Uso!" Naruto accused, laughing. "You lie!"

"No, really." Sasuke muttered, a faint pink appearing on his pale features. "I knew that."

"Admit it, bastard, you have zero knowledge about the basics of biology."

"Coming from a dobe that somehow has multiple orgasm. Or maybe I'm just that good…"

"SAY ANOTHER WORD AND DIE!"

* * *

A smile played on Sasuke's lips as he replayed one out of the million banters he'd shared with Naruto. His mind recreated how Naruto licked his lips mischievously before blowing against the unguarded white of Sasuke's neck – how Naruto's face bloomed into a grin when the dobe somehow managed a decent comeback – how Naruto always used his right arm to circle Sasuke's neck and his left to set against the bigger boy's back when they made out –

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke's eyes flew open as he leapt to his feet and faced the man that'd slipped under his guard. The intruder stood gracefully in billowing robes, his lithe body proud. The blankness of his skin made him seem almost otherworldly. Dark lines rimmed eyes of gorgeous, brilliant green and soft crimson hair framed the starkly beautiful features with an arrogant elegance. This man aloofly bore all the signs of a man that was always meant to be different – meant to be one and only.

Gaara of the Sand.

Sasuke drew himself up and warily brought his hands up in a defensive pose. But the red-haired man gave a slight tilt of the head.

"No. My business is with the hokage."

At the simple words, Sasuke felt his throat burn with a liquid hot jealousy. Gaara didn't miss the flicker of rare emotion and made an invisible smile.

"By your reaction, I'm guessing you met the hokage by now." The red-haired man said quietly. "And the meeting didn't go well in the slightest."

"If you have no business with me," Sasuke began, hating the direction the conversation was going. "I'll relieve you of my company."

As the raven-haired man turned to go, Gaara wondered out loud, "Are you going to die now, Uchiha Sasuke?"

Sasuke swiveled around and glared at the red-haired man. "It's none of your fucking business, Gaara."

Gaara of the Sand chose to ignore the hostile words as he continued thoughtfully, "So you _are_ going to follow Naruto's path…"

Sasuke's gaze darkened. "What are you implying?"

"Uchiha Sasuke, Naruto died ten years ago. Since then, I've never referred to him by his name. Only by what he's become. 'Hokage'."

Gaara looked up at a rather surprised Uchiha and smirked.

"It is rare for me to 'miss' an entity. Other deaths have failed to teach me that emotion – but Uzumaki Naruto is – as you _must_ know well – a different case all together." Gaara extended a hand toward the gorgeous raven-haired man and waited for him to take him up on his offer. "So, let me make a deal with you, Uchiha Sasuke. If you promise to let me meet with Naruto in the future, I'll escort you to the hokage now. As I know it, the villagers of Konoha – even the rokudaime – must obey the last orders of the godaime. But, you see, I am the kazekage and I am immune to those orders…"

* * *

Lunch at the Uzumaki household was unusually quiet. Hinata glanced worriedly first at her husband – picking thoughtfully at his fish with no intention of feasting on it – and next at her son who was mournfully shoveling rice into his mouth. The young wife knew Naruto had failed to meet Uchiha Sasuke – and probably had already guessed that his failure had been collaborated – and she supposed that Amoto – ever precocious – sensed that there was something sorely wrong with his father's behavior.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata piped up, immediately reddening as she realized her voice was too loud and too abrupt. Hating herself for acting like she was still in the academy, she took up Naruto's soup bowl and poured more broth into the bowl, "Have some broth while it's warm. I tried a different kind of – ittai!"

Accidentally pressing her finger against the hot handle of the ladle, Hinata lost her grip on the bowl and hot liquid splashed onto her hand. Immediately, Naruto stole his wife's finger into his mouth and sucked against the scorched skin.

"Kaa-san!" Amoto exclaimed, getting to his knees. "Gah! You gotta be careful!"

"Tahs wa Iee lawyz aye!" Naruto agreed, though it was hard to understand since the blonde still had Hinata's finger between his lips.

"It's your fault, stupid! Kaa-san was trying to get your soup!"

"HWAt!"

Hinata burst into giggles at the familiar sight of her son arguing with her husband. The fair-skinned woman felt tears start to swell in her creamy eyes as she laughed. Everything seemed so normal – so perfectly normal! Was all of this… _wrong_? How could such perfection be wrong?

"Kaa-san? Does it hurt so much?" Amoto – who'd been staring at her face – asked, instantly worried. "Kaa-san?"

"…"

Naruto silently stared at Hinata shake her head slowly and, smiling gently at their son, wipe away the dewiness from her eyes. Letting out a quiet sigh of defeat, the blonde slowly got to his feet. Offering a hand to his wife and hoisting her to her feet when she questioningly took it, he led her toward the family room in search of band-aids. Amoto started to his feet too, in order to follow, and paused when he heard the doorbell ring.

"Why don't you see who it is, Amoto?" Naruto suggested over his shoulder.

Amoto nodded and clamored down the hallway, leaving his parents together.

"You know, Naruto-kun." Hinata chirped brightly. "It doesn't really hurt."

Naruto nodded and carefully applied salve to the woman's hand.

"I'm a ninja too and it's only a little burn." Hinata went on, animatedly gesturing with her free hand. "I was overreacting. Stupid of me, really, since it is all my fault!"

Naruto wrapped a crisp band-aid on his wife's white finger and interrupted her too-cheerful babbling by wrapping her tightly in his arms.

"Naru – Naruto – kun?" Hinata's voice was unsure – a little afraid – as Naruto's grip on her strengthened.

In his arms now was a woman that had noticed him when others had gone out of their way to ignore him. In his arms was a woman that had believed in him ever since he was some demon-fox – before he could even make a proper bunshin – before he became a ninja – before he became the hokage. In his arms was a woman that made for him the family that he never had and bore him a son that he treasured. Hyuuga Hinata embellished Naruto's past, gift-wrapped his present, and promised him his future…

Of course, it didn't change the fact she lied to him for ten years. Ten long, long years. Yet –

Tsunade's voice echoed in the blonde's mind.

_You are the husband of a woman who loves you with her entire being._

Was there any question that Hinata loved him? Was there a doubt? Was there a shred of a reason to make her tremble in his arms as she was doing now? Make her fear he'd leave? For what? For who? For Uchiha Sasuke because he was wearing some piece of jewelry that Naruto probably lost during his great fight with him? For some stranger that appeared after ten long years of absence just because Amoto told him that Naruto and he shared little habits?

If Naruto had meant anything at all to the raven-haired man – where had he been for ten fucking years? Ten fucking years it took to destroy every existing memory of the said man that lingered in Konoha? Ten fucking years in which his best friend had been wrecking her own life to make Naruto's life a living dream? Ten fucking years in which his wife had been piling one scarring sin after another in her soul to protect him from a truth that'd been killing him?

If Uchiha Sasuke was so very important to Naruto – how come it was Hinata's fear and not the raven-haired man's pain that tore up Naruto's insides?

"Hinata-chan." Naruto whispered fiercely to Hinata. "I promise…"

_I promise I won't leave you_. _I promise I won't leave you. Because I love you more than anyone else in the world, I promise I won't leave you._

His mind repeated the confession a million times but his lips – for some reason – wouldn't form the words. And – for the breath of a second that Naruto struggled to speak – a short memory flashed in his crowded mind –

"I'm not gonna let you go again, Sasuke." Naruto was crying, grabbing onto the collar of a raven-haired boy. The boy looked up at him and snarled, obvious contempt shining in obsidian eyes, "This is getting old real fast, usuratonkachi."

And Naruto had –

"Naruto-kun? Are you alright?"

Hinata stared at the blonde man tear away from her as if he'd been burnt. He's hands were trembling mightily as he tried to regain his sense of balance. As her creamy eyes filled themselves with her husband's gorgeous image, Naruto spoke in a voice that didn't seem to belong to him.

"Hinata-chan, I promise I won't leave you like Sasuke left me…"

* * *

All reviews and comments are welcome!


	5. Love Often Lies

**Disclaimer**: Naruto is drawn and written by a fantastically splendid, wonderfully cute, and very talented manga artist Masashi Kishimoto. (Obviously, I don't own it.) On top of that, I don't own the terrific song, Give You Back by Vertical Horizon, which I listened to over and over while writing this fiction.

**In the Previous Chapter:** The disappearance of Uchiha Sasuke is the reason Uzumaki Naruto could rise to become the hokage. And while Tsunade is determined to keep the harmful past from returning, Gaara of the Sand wants Naruto's past to breathe again and is willing to help Sasuke. But Naruto experiences a very brief return of the memory he is missing…

**Chapter Five Rating: **R (for language and sexual situations)

**My E-mail:** rosesareblue at ymail dot com (Write me with any comments or suggestions. Remember, there's nothing like feedback that improves an author's moral/writing and keeps the chapters coming.)

**Give You Back**

_A SasuNaru Fic_

**by rosesareblue**

_I don't mind _

_I don't mind, no, I _

_Laugh enough _

_Just dreaming about it _

Give You Back by Vertical Horizon

**Chapter Five: Because Love Often Lies**

"Hinata-chan, I promise I won't leave you like Sasuke left me…"

Hinata blinked, swallowing thickly in horrification. Stiffly, she lifted her hand and pressed her palm against her husband's arm. Naruto was trembling badly.

_Trembling because his mouth was speaking of things that his mind didn't know of._

"N-naruto-kun? Wha-what does that mean?? Naruto-k-kun?"

When Naruto didn't answer and only shuddered – his blue eyes wide with some inner terror – Hinata felt her heart crack. His eyes were blank – empty – almost as though he was lost and afraid to be alone. But that couldn't be. Naruto wasn't lost. And he wasn't alone! Never alone! Naruto was here – here with her! Naruto wasn't goddamn lost! Naruto didn't get lost!

…_unless his mind was searching for Sasuke…_

"UZUMAKI NARUTO!!" Hinata found herself screaming. Her arms flew possessively, instinctively around her husband in a desperate attempt to save him from his own inner terror. She buried her face against his shaking frame and wept. "NARUTO-KUN WAKE UP! WAKE UP!"

"…ha…"

His trembling was mitigating. In Hinta's pressing arms, Naruto's trembling was becoming shallow. Hinata squeezed her eyes shut tightly and prayed.

_Oh god. Oh god. Let Naruto come back. Come all the way back._

"Ha, ha…"

Hinata froze.

"Ha, ha, ha, hah!"

Naruto was laughing.

* * *

"Sasuke!"

With a sudden increase of speed, the blonde thrust himself on top of the Uchiha, knocking the raven-haired boy off his feet and sending him sprawling on the dirt. Straddling on top of the bigger boy's stomach, the kitsune glared down at Sasuke with furious blue eyes.

"Where do you think you are going?"

Sasuke's obsidian eyes were void of emotion save a flicker of annoyance.

"Orochimaru wasn't strong enough. Especially if _you_ managed to kill him." The raven-haired boy hissed. "I'm going to find something stronger."

"Not if I stop you." Naruto snarled, fisting the front of the bigger boy's shirt.

"Ah? Like last time?" Sasuke smirked. "If I remember correctly, dobe, it didn't go so well then."

"This time I'm going to stop you with everything I have." Naruto snapped, his grasp tightening.

"But everything you have isn't enough, usuratonkachi." Sasuke spat. "Why can't you understand?"

The hurt that entered those peerless blue eyes was so very blatant.

"This time, it's gonna be different." Naruto insisted.

"I can't see how." Sasuke's voice was growing hard with increasing annoyance. "Get off me, dobe, unless you want my arm through your lungs again."

"I'm not gonna let you go again." Naruto managed, blonde hair spilling in front of his eyes to hide his upset.

Sasuke's voice dropped an octave in his silent anger and his obsidian eyes shown with obvious contempt. "This is getting old real fast, usuratonkachi."

Sasuke's eyes flickered red than became complete black again as he hissed wearily.

_"What can I do to convince you that you don't matter?"_

* * *

"Go-gomen, Hinata-chan." Naruto finally managed between peals of laughter. He wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes and smiled beautifully at his frightened young wife. "Gomen. I just – um – I don't even understand what I just said. Um, can we just forget it?"

"Wh-wha-N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata stuttered.

But, none of this made sense! She didn't understand – why had Naruto-kun laughed just now?? Why had he talked about Sasuke? Could it possibly… possibly… The jutsu was supposed to be impossible to undo. But… perhaps… Naruto-kun was above all impossibilities? It wouldn't surprise her if her husband were. After all, why else would Naruto talk about Sasuke as though he –

Suddenly, Hinata felt Naruto's finger thwack her on the forehead. Rubbing her head, Hinata looked up to see Naruto grinning widely at her and running a carefree hand through his already scattered blonde hair.

"What are you thinking so deeply about, baka?!" Naruto smirked, his voice glazed with a husky tremor. "Everything's so simple. I think I just figured it all out."

"Y-you did?" Hinata squeaked. She should have been more frightened at the confession, but Naruto seemed to be magically back to normal. As though – almost as though Naruto were –

"Un." Naruto smirked.

"Wha-what did you figure out, N-n-naruto-kun?" Hinata ventured.

"You really want to know?" Naruto asked, his face blooming into a grin.

"Hai." Hinata bobbed her head.

"Um… no." Naruto said.

"No?" Hinata blinked. "No as in – you won't tell me?"

"Yup. Cos…" Naruto snickered. "Cos I think I'll _show_ you what I figured out instead…"

Hinata felt a blush spread on her cheeks as Naruto licked his lips mischievously. The silky blonde hair whispered against her cheek as Naruto leaned close enough to breathe against the unguarded white of Hinata's neck. Naruto's right arm began to encircle Hinata's neck and he settled his left arm against his wife's back before leaning in to –

"NARUTO-SAMA!"

"GYAH!"

"ACK!!"

The blushing couple tore away from each other as Konohamaru burst into the living room – followed by a slightly peeved Amoto who rushed to get between his father and mother and possessively hug his mother's leg. Before Naruto could say another word edgewise, Konohamaru fell into Naruto's arms and promptly burst into tears.

"NARUTO-SAMA NO BAKA!!" Konohamaru wept hysterically. "BAKABAKABAKABAKABAKABAKA…"

"Get a grip, Konohamaru!" Naruto pulled the smaller man from his arms and shook him lightly. "What is it?"

"The KAZEKAGE is HERE! In KONOHA! For a SUPER IMPORTANT AND OFFICIAL diplomatic visit and–and you aren't even in your OFFICE!!" Konohamaru wailed.

"Gaara?" Naruto blinked. "Gaara's in Konoha? Why?"

"You can ask HIM!" Konohamaru hollered. "NOW! When you come with me back to your office WHERE YOU ALWAYS SHOULD HAVE BEEN!!"

Naruto winced at the force of the shout and Hinata wrapped her hands around Amoto's ears to save her son from going deaf. Then mother and son watched Naruto be dragged out of the room by his hysterical secretary.

"Gomen, Hinata-chan. We'll talk when I get home." Naruto waved, before he disappeared out the door. "And son, have fun at the academy."

"I always have fun." Amoto shot back and Hinata giggled.

They were the perfect family: a powerful father who endeavored to protect his family; a beautiful mother who thrived on her husband and her child's happiness; a healthy son blessed with both beauty and talent… They always ended up laughing or joking together – as if their lives were some television sitcom – because they respected and cared for each other. This was their norm – this perfection was their lives. And the shocking visit of a certain troublesome raven-haired man hadn't troubled their perfection at all – except for the fact that Naruto's wide grin disappeared and his blue eyes became blank with darkness as soon as he was out of Hinata's and Amoto's sight.

_As if Naruto were some television sitcom actor who'd finished a scene…_

* * *

_"What can I do to convince you that you don't matter?"_

Naruto fell back as if he'd been slapped at the raven-haired boy's words. The Uchiha used the moment of vulnerability to grip the front of the blonde's shirt and tugged the smaller boy down so that he was staring straight into all the hurt, all the vulnerability and, yes, all the weakness in the kitsune's incomprehensibly blue eyes.

"I'm ordering you to get off me dobe." Sasuke whispered. "I want nothing more from you."

Naruto's trembling fingers snaked around the Uchiha's wrist as the blonde choked out, "Y-you lie very badly, bastard."

Sasuke's eyes flickered again as the Uchiha's temper snapped. "GET THE FUCK OFF ME, USU – "

But the rest of Sasuke's threat was silenced by Naruto's lips pushing desperately down against his own. The Uchiha's eyes flew open in surprise as the blonde insistently worked the raven-haired boy's mouth in a hungry kiss, tugging on Sasuke's shirt to pull him closer still. One hand worked into the Uchiha's dark hair to tenderly massage his scalp as Naruto began to nibble on Sasuke's lower lip.

And in the course of this sudden kiss, Sasuke found that his own grip on Naruto's shirt had slackened totally and his arms had fallen to the side – completely forfeiting a fight with anything Naruto was doing to him. The Uchiha was vaguely aware that they were in the middle of an open desert, only several kilometers from the Sand village, with nothing to hide their bodies if anyone chanced to walk by. However, all this was frivolous detail in comparison to Naruto's kisses.

The blonde slowly released Sasuke's shirt and settled the bigger boy's head against the cushion of the sand. While the hand in Sasuke's hair continued to hold his head firmly tilted up to meet the blonde's lips, the now free hand moved to caress the Uchiha's cheeks. The soft strokes of Naruto's slender fingers made Sasuke feel hot – too hot – and desperate. The Uchiha's arms went up to encircle Naruto's shoulders and roughly pull the kitsune closer.

Naruto willingly obeyed the tug, leaning his head down while darting his tongue out to push tenaciously against the Uchiha's lips. Sasuke parted them, allowing entrance, and soon their tongues were wrestling for dominance, tangled inside the hot cavern of the Uchiha's mouth. Just when Sasuke found that he was winning this 'battle' and forcing his tongue between Naruto's resisting lips, the kitsune suddenly pulled away.

Both boys stared at each other, breathing roughly.

"I am – " Naruto choked out a haggard breath. "Stop you, Sa-Sasuke – " Another pant. "W-with _everything_ I have."

Sasuke raised an elegant eyebrow – but this time all the irritation had evaporated from the boy's dark eyes. Slowly, the pale boy whispered, a smile tugging at the corner of his smooth mouth. The first smile the said pale boy had made in over three years.

_"Try."_

* * *

"Gaara. Gawd, I'm so sorry!" Naruto choked out, rushing into the hokage office after nearly ripping out the office door in his hurry to open it. While Konohamaru had a fit about this in the hall, Naruto quickly shut and locked the door behind him and turned to face his friend with a grin.

"I'm as bad as Kakashi, I know, and I'll completely understand if you want to put your foot through my ass…"

Naruto's voice faded away as he saw just _who_ was in his office. There was Gaara. And there was a bloody corpse of a lean, dark-haired man.

"Wha-wha-" Naruto gagged. "Gaara – he – why – "

"He's my counsel." Gaara said simply, cutting off Naruto's surprised choking. "He is accompanying me. Interestingly enough, a dead man has a better chance of passing security than a live one."

"This is…" Naruto gasped, nearing the crumpled body and sensing the unusual chakra somehow amazingly suppressed around the broken form.

"Genjutsu." Gaara's reply was curt.

"But in Kazekage style, huh?" Naruto laughed.

Gaara cracked a small smile and motioned for the sand that shelled the 'body' back into his gourd. Naruto's smile lingered on his face till he realized just who was appearing out of the genjutsu…

Gaara spoke quietly.

"This is Uchiha Sasuke, hokage-sama."

"I know." Naruto croaked.

Gaara closed his eyes. "No, you don't know."

* * *

A second more passed, with a very determined Naruto gazing down at a sensually bemused Sasuke. And slowly, slowly, Naruto's hand left Sasuke's face to trail the bigger boy's body down – down across the chest, across the stomach to finally rest at the waist band of Sasuke's pants. Carefully, two fingers slipped beneath the layer of fabric and caressed the hidden patch of skin below.

Despite himself, Sasuke swallowed loudly.

In the next moment, Naruto's lips were pressing harshly against Sasuke's again – the kitsune's tongue forcing its way into Sasuke's mouth. The hand at the rim of Sasuke's pants was deftly unzipping the bigger boy's trousers while the hand in Sasuke's hair was tugging the raven-haired boy roughly forward.

Not liking how Naruto seemed to be the one in control, Sasuke shifted his weight abruptly so that both boys flipped over on the soft carpet of sand and it was Sasuke sprawled out on top of Naruto. The pale boy twirled his own tongue around Naruto's and pushed aggressively against it. Unwillingly, Naruto's lips parted and Sasuke ran his persistent tongue against the kitsune's glossy teeth and finally into the wet hotness of the blonde's mouth. Naruto choked, not getting enough air, but Sasuke ignored the kitsune's discomfort as his tongue continued to roam.

Naruto choked again and pushed hard against Sasuke's chest, gaining enough leverage to jerk his head away. Sasuke's next kiss landed on Naruto's cheek as the blonde panted into the sand. Naruto hissed.

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu."

Sasuke's eyes flew open in surprise as suddenly, two pairs of strong arms were pulling him off the blonde and pinning him to the sand. The next thing that entered his vision were the faces of three Narutos, grinning for all they were worth.

"Sasuke." Naruto tsked. "I can't work properly if you keep interfering."

"This is cheating, usuratonkachi." Sasuke glared, struggling against the two bunshin's holding him down.

"I know." Naruto said happily, leaning down to plant a smacking kiss on Sasuke's nose. "But don't worry. Soon as I have you just where I want you, it'll be one on one again. I promise."

"Wha - !" One of the bunshins complained.

"We don't get any action?" The other echoed, brows creasing.

Naruto sweatdropped and an amused chuckle erupted from Sasuke's throat.

"You won't be laughing when I'm through with you, Sasuke." Naruto grumbled, turning back to the task of stripping away the Uchiha's clothing whilst ignoring the loud complaints from his bunshins.

"Oi, usuratonkachi." Sasuke spoke up helpfully. "Maybe you should strip first so that I have something to watch while you fumble through this."

"I thought you wanted nothing more from me!" Naruto shot back, his eyebrows arching in irritation. "Why are you ordering me around now?"

"Cos you are a better kisser than you look." Sasuke replied curtly, staring at Naruto tugging off his pants. "But tongues can be put to much better use than kissing."

"Shut up, baka." Naruto frowned, trying to decide whether the Uchiha's shirt or his boxers had to be stripped first. "Can't you see I'm concentrating??"

* * *

There had been no doubt in the kazekage's weighted words. As soon as Naruto sighed and nodded in a way that seemed to acknowledge what Gaara was trying to convey, the red-haired man immediately exited the room. Noting there wasn't a single sound that trickled into the room, Sasuke guessed that the redheaded sand-nin had put some sort of sealing jutsu around the room so that he and Naruto couldn't be disturbed.

He and Naruto…

Again, Sasuke felt a pressing sensation against his chest and realized a second later that the unfamiliar feeling was nervousness. Another second more and the raven-haired man had to conclude that it was indeed Naruto who was making him nervous. The usuratonkachi. The blonde dobe. Making Uchiha Sasuke so nervous that it was hard for him to breathe…

Sasuke relied on all his training as a ninja and forced himself to casually lean away from Naruto against a side table so that the blond man couldn't see that his hands were faintly – so faintly! – yet definitely trembling. Because…

Because Naruto was cocking his head as he gazed out the window and a golden strand of hair was whispering against the man's long eyelashes. Because Naruto finally noticed the stray strand and lightly fingered it away from his eyes with long, slender fingers. Because Naruto's chin was a glazed brown-gold that was just begging, begging, begging for attention…

Naruto interrupted Sasuke's staring by suddenly turning around to face the raven-haired man. Catching the other man's gaze, Naruto graced him with a heartbreaking smile that the blonde man must smile at all his other admirers. A smile that seemed to be apologetic for the in-exclusive quality that was inherent to it. But a smile that Sasuke somehow was sickeningly _grateful_ to receive…

"Uchiha Sasuke." Naruto said slowly, as if weighing the name on his tongue. "Uchiha Sasuke…"

Naruto moved closer to the taller man and Sasuke nearly tripped backwards over the table. What the fuck, Uchiha! Stop acting like you are in the academy and freakin' keep your cool. It's Naruto, you idiot. Get a grip! It's _NARUTO_.

_Your Naruto_.

Sasuke cleared his throat and, mustering all the Uchiha willpower, trained his eyes to meet Naruto's blue ones – and all but blanched. Even though Naruto's lips were curved into a timid smile, the central depth of the blonde's eyes were nearly swirling with a navy gravity that Naruto had never seemed to possess before. These eyes were those of a man who knew how to calculate how the world worked.

And a small voice in Sasuke's had told him that _this_ Naruto was a complete stranger to him.

Naruto stared as the man before him turned white. Guesses for the reason shot through the blonde's head. Was Uchiha Sasuke paling with fear or… aversion? If the later was true, maybe Naruto'd been wrong with this guess. Maybe that short return of memory was some sort of chimera that never happened…

Before Naruto had time to think about it – he found himself reaching for the collar of the raven-haired man's shirt.

This time, Sasuke really did trip over the table behind him. Naruto instinctively reached out to grab the front of the other man's shirt to keep him from falling, but the bigger man's momentum sent both of them tumbling to the ground with a loud crash.

And – for the first time in a long, long ten years – Naruto returned to Sasuke's arms.

So the world courteously froze for the two men. Naruto's right hand was still firmly gripping Sasuke's shirt while his other hand kept his body balanced a breath away from lying completely on top of the raven-haired man's. Sasuke's arms had immediately – naturally – gone around Naruto's shoulder and his hands were now resting on the small of the blonde's back. Their skin seemed to tinkle at the each other's warm proximity. Sasuke felt himself melting away – disappearing – into the familiarity of this scene…

Everything was so real. Naruto was so real. And so damn close. Close enough to taste the breath that trickled from those pink lips. Close enough to feel the pulse that echoed through that slender tan body. Close enough to see the million shades of blue that swam in the blonde's eyes…

Sasuke would have lost it then had Naruto not recovered first.

"Gomen." Naruto cleared his throat curtly, tearing away from Sasuke without a moment's hesitation. Getting to his feet, the hokage leaned down to help the other man up. During all of this, not a single shade of pink appeared on Naruto's cheeks – unlike the heated red that flashed against Sasuke's own.

"My fault." Naruto continued lightly. "I just wanted to see – if you don't mind – the necklace you are wearing."

Sasuke's eyes flew open with hurt and, more intensely, anger. Naruto was speaking to him in a tone that could leave no shred of a doubt that the blonde considered the Uchiha as 'business'. As if Sasuke was some part of a goddamn formal proceeding. Sasuke knew with sudden conviction that this must be what Gaara meant: This blonde man before him was a god. A god that was meticulously flawless in a way that denied he breathed and lived.

_The core of this Uzumaki Naruto was disgustingly hollow_.

In an instant, the front of Sasuke's shirt was undone. The Uchiha only needed to undo the top few buttons to reveal the necklace, but Sasuke pulled open the rest of the buttons because he knew it'd bother Naruto. Because he hoped it'd piss the blonde off and drag some – one! – human reaction from the dobe as it would have ten years ago. And… there was a faded scar against the length of the raven haired man's stomach that remained from his last fight with Naruto…

_A lingering reminder of ten years ago…_

With careful reservation, Naruto stared at the jewel that lay against the stark white of Sasuke's chest. The smaller man's blue eyes cautiously wandered to the scar on the raven-haired man's stomach and Naruto's mouth twitched as if he wanted to say something important. But, in the end, the blonde didn't open his lips. Instead, Naruto leaned forward to carefully touched the tip of the fading scar with a gentle finger and almost magically made Sasuke forget why he'd been mad at the blonde in the first place…

After a measured silence, Naruto parted his lips and announced in a way one might announce the weather:

"I loved you, didn't I?"

The blonde carefully looked at the raven-haired man in front of him.

**_"Tell me: Was I in love with you, Uchiha Sasuke??"_**

* * *

All reviews and comments are very welcome!!

Special Note: To my reviewers that leave those amazing commentaries – gosh, thanx so, so, so much. You really help me deem my own work through your passionate reactions to what's happening in the story or your analyze on the characters… I'll try to think up ways to show my gratitude. Um, I can send my next chapter two/three days before I post on the site or something…? I'll have to think about this, but, anyway, thanx for making the job of writing this fic worth it!


	6. Useless Emotions

**Disclaimer**: Naruto is drawn and written by a fantastically splendid, wonderfully cute, and very talented manga artist Masashi Kishimoto. (Obviously, I don't own it.) On top of that, I don't own the terrific song, Give You Back by Vertical Horizon, which I listened to over and over while writing this fiction.

**In the Previous Chapter:** Ten years ago, Naruto was obsessed with keeping Sasuke by his side – killing Orochimaru for his raven-haired friend. But now, Naruto can coolly confront his rival with the careless question "Tell me: Was I in love with you, Uchiha Sasuke?" – as though nothing that happened between them matters.

**Chapter Six Rating: **R (for language and sexual situations)

**My E-mail:** rosesareblue at ymail dot com (Write me with any comments or suggestions. Remember, there's nothing like feedback that improves an author's moral/writing and keeps the chapters coming.)

**Give You Back**

_A SasuNaru Fic_

**by rosesareblue**

_When the memory comes _

_I'll say I'm always in the dark _

_You got me now_

Give You Back by Vertical Horizon

**Chapter Six: Useless Emotions**

"I loved you, didn't I?"

The blonde carefully looked at the raven-haired man in front of him.

"Tell me: Was I in love with you, Uchiha Sasuke?"

It took a long while for the raven-haired man to find his voice. It took even longer for him to even it out into a throaty, "How should I know, dobe? How would I know what was going through that thick-head of yours."

Naruto smiled widely – genuinely – at the sharp retort. After all, the blonde man couldn't know that such a simple smile stabbed at everything in the raven-haired man's insides.

"Ha… But I gave you reason to think that?" Naruto wondered. "I gave you reason to be pretty confident that I loved you? Or else – why would you risk your life to come see me here in Konoha if I – "

Naruto stopped abruptly as a thought entered his mind and his eyes grew huge at the sudden idea.

"Unless, you love me too..." Naruto muttered, glancing up at Sasuke with raised eyebrows. "Why would you come back unless you love me too? Is that the answer… Sasuke baka?"

The Uchiha felt a film in his head snapped. How dare Naruto ask things like that so carelessly? How dare Naruto somehow find how pathetic Sasuke had become to be… to be almost funny? How dare Naruto use the familiar nickname without having a clue to what it possibly meant?

Sasuke tackled Naruto straight on and the two men fell back again, landing roughly on the hard floor. A breath before Sasuke's fist struck against Naruto's face, the blonde man blocked the punch by grabbing the other's hand.

Silence.

Then…

"Go-gomen!" Naruto winced, eyeing the seething raven-haired man on top of him. "Gawds – I just said something wrong now, didn't I? Damnit! Then I should of _let_ you clobber me. Just – instinct, you know? You see a fist coming at you in, what, slow motion and your body reacts so _easily_ that…"

There was no way in the world – altercated or not – that Uchiha Sasuke would let Uzumaki Naruto get away with such a statement. The next blow left a crater where Naruto's head had been a second prior. The blonde man pushed roughly against Sasuke's chest and, being freed of the other's insane grip, swiftly jumped to his knees. And – this time – Naruto pounced first.

It was a very, very good thing Gaara of the Sand somehow barricaded the hokage's office. Else – it would never ever be possible for Konoha's great hokage-sama to enjoy a spar in his very own headquarters in the center of the village that had lied to him for ten long years.

* * *

The bigger man lay fervently kicking beneath the smaller man on top of the broken hokage's desk. The other furniture also lay in complete ruins thanks to the sparring, which must have lasted well over four hours. Luckily, Naruto and Sasuke had shared an implicit taijutsu-only agreement and had more or less just wrestled (except for the time Naruto bit Sasuke's wrist when the bigger man had restrained him in a headlock) so nothing was reduced to ash.

"Admit it, Uchiha." Naruto panted, pushing Sasuke's shoulder more forcefully against the tabletop. "I pinned you."

"Shut up, dobe." Sasuke spat, trying unsuccessfully to force free. "And get off me. NOW."

The Uchiha glare would have worked had Naruto unknowingly possessed immunity to the look that otherwise would have chilled blood. Instead, the blonde man just snickered, "Tell me: When we were lovers, was I always on top like this?"

"DON'T KID YOURSELF, DOBE! I NEVER LET YOU BE ON TOP EXCEPT TWICE!" Sasuke roared, thrusting Naruto off with a shocking power that could only come from an irate seme whose uke was getting out of hand.

Naruto flew off and landed slightly painfully on the floor. The blonde's smile – which had never been so bright in a long, long time – started to fade from the luscious sun-kissed features. And Sasuke realized that the two were slowly but surely coming back to reality. At the same time, Sasuke sat up as Naruto rigidly got to his feet as well.

"Naruto – " The raven-haired man began when Naruto cut him off by shaking his head, the blonde bangs covering the cerulean eyes that would betray too much – way too much – emotion. And…

…_emotion didn't belong on a god…_

"I don't know if you know, Sasuke, but I was born an orphan." Naruto began, his face still veiled in shadow. "My life was pretty much all fuckin' dark till Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei. Till Sakura."

Naruto licked his lips slowly, looking up to meet the raven-haired man's gaze. The blonde man offered the taller man an invisible smile and continued, a little awkwardly.

"Sakura was my best friend. She and I were a two-person team because our third guy died almost as soon as he graduated from the academy. Only from then on did I really become a ninja, fighting and winning impossible battles for Sakura's sake. She was pretty much my sole drive for living when I was young – my inspiration, if you want something sappy, and my obsession, if you want the twisted account…"

Naruto leaned back on his heels, his brows furrowed in concentration as if he were trying to recite a list he'd earnestly memorized. And Sasuke realized that the next segment of Naruto's story was what he dreaded – and at the same time anticipated – to hear.

"My single-mindedness changed when I fell in love with Hinata – my wife. I was seventeen, I think, when I was attacked on a training mission by a group of missing-nins. It took me 'bout six months to recover from my wounds and Hinata was there through all of it. She gave up all sorts of promotions to be able to stay and nurse me back to health. And – I dunno – I guess I never had anyone aside from Sakura devote so much attention to me."

Sasuke swallowed, stiffly.

"I dated Hinata forever. Even after I was promoted to the captain of the Anbu force and had enough money to support a family, I – I guess I wasn't sure about the whole marriage thing. I kept thinking – actually, I don't even know what the fuck I was thinking – but I kept thinking I wanted to travel – to get away from here for a while. But – ah, things… came up and Tsunade ba-ba reminded me that if I didn't make Hinata mine soon, I'd lose her. And I could never accept that."

This time, Naruto was the one who paused to swallow – massaging his slender neck in mild discomfort.

"Amoto was born about six months after our marriage. Three years later, I became the hokage of Konoha." Naruto finished. He slowly lifted his head to face an unblinking Sasuke and said – without pride, without humility – "So, here I am. I am Uzumaki Naruto – the hokage of a great ninja village, the husband of the most gorgeous woman, and the father of a little ninja burning with potential."

The two men were trapped in universally different silences – till Naruto opened his pink lips again.

"But the problem is…"

Naruto made his way toward Sasuke, reaching out to take the taller man's wrist and pressing the slender fingers against his own left chest. Until that moment – Sasuke had only relearned the humiliating totality of his absence in the dobe's life. But the moment his white hand brushed against the hokage's robes –

"Sasuke… here…"

Sasuke's blonde's heart was hammering – pulsing at a rapid, desperate pace. Unlike Naruto's almost nonchalant appearance, the dobe's heart was beating much, much too quickly.

And Sasuke knew what Naruto really wanted to say – even before the blonde voiced the words.

"You don't have to tell me." Naruto whispered. "I know."

_"I know already how much I must have loved you."_

Sasuke's eyes grew slightly in surprise as he realized that – this moment – he'd finally receive the answer he'd come back to this cursed village to hear. His blonde was so beautiful – and knowing that Naruto's heart was pounding like that for Sasuke under that gorgeous exterior only made the blonde man even more heavenly in the raven-haired man's black gaze.

Naruto loved him? Did Naruto love him?

"Dobe. I – I came back because I – "

"But Sasuke…"

Naruto interrupted, his voice thick and sending shivers up the raven-haired man's spine. Blue eyes bored into black ones till the blonde man finally said – too simply – too decidedly –

_"Hinata's pregnant. With my second son."_

* * *

Tsunade leaned heavily against her wooden window frame, staring outside at the hokage mountain – specifically at the gentle face of the rokudaime. She couldn't admit to any soul – but she was asking those handsome, stone features for forgiveness. Wryly, she wondered whether she was guilty for Naruto's sake or for her own.

Was she scared that she'd sapped the spirit out of Naruto on the excuse that she needed him to live?

Or was she scared that she'd sinned? That she'd broken a person's heart after dulling it of all sensations?

Because – only she knew. Only Tsunade knew how much love destroyed.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama! Oh my god, Tsunade-sama!"

Tsunade turned around at the call, catching Hyuuga Hinata before she tripped. Trying to steady the thin, trembling frame of the younger woman, Tsunade demanded, "Hinata! Hinata! Speak up! What – "

"Na-Naruto!" Hinata stared up at her teacher, her white eyes dewy and blood trickling down her cheek. "Naruto won't – Naruto won't – "

"WHAT!"

"Naruto won't breathe!" Hinata screamed, her madly shaking hands flying up to her face. "He won't breathe – he won't – ! He broke free of the ropes again and – and started strangling himself – his own hands around his throat! So I – I – "

Tsunade grabbed the smaller woman by her wrist and started to drag her towards Naruto's hospital room. But Hinata was resisting, digging her heels into the floor.

"Don't you see? Don't you see, Tsunade-sama?" The pale woman wept. "Naruto wants – Naruto only wants to search for Sasuke in hell…"

By the time the two woman reached Naruto's room, Hinata's pretty face was contorted – red in difficultly wept tears – and Tsunade's smooth forehead was creased in anxious despair. Slowly, the blonde woman pushed the door open. Quietly, she took in the broken furniture and the spilt medicine. Finally, she saw the crumpled body of a gorgeous blonde man – his throat stamped with fingerprints and blood dropping from his forehead. By the way he lay on a cushion of shattered glass on the floor, Tsunade knew that Hinata had finally knocked him unconscious to restrain him.

The sight was – in one word – disgusting.

Hinata inched toward the fallen patient, ignoring the glass as she sat down among the debris to hug Naruto's head to her. Her tears continued to fall – but their presence wasn't alerted by sound or movement. After all, tears were a permanent for the small woman…

"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered – almost pleadingly. "Gomen ne, Naruto-kun…"

And Tsunade knew there was anything else to be done.

"Naruto-kun? Can't you – can't you trust me with your love? I-I promise that I'll make you happy. I promise that I'll do anything – give you everything… So – please, please – don't let that demon drag you down with him to hell…"

"Naruto-kun… Please – please – "

Live.

* * *

Tsunade lay an unconscious Naruto on a bed adorned with ropes. At her side, Hinata was busy tying the thin limbs securely in place. Soon – there would only be no need for those ropes. Soon – Naruto would no longer be confined to the hospital.

Because – for this boy – wounds of the _body_ healed miraculously fast.

The jutsu was as simple as it was irreversible. All Tsunade needed to do was place her hands on the blonde's forehead and utter a long incantation – asking various Gods of Death to purge evidence of life – memories – from the victim's head. This was perhaps the one powerful jutsu that enemies didn't perform on one another. Perhaps it was because the process took too long to perform. Or perhaps it was because even enemies knew that killing a person and destroying who the person was were different things…

When Hinata was done with her task, she fell back and – after a moment's hesitation – stood rigidly next to Naruto's bed.

Tsunade knew that this meant Hinata was willing to become her accomplice in this sinful task. Respecting the other woman's decision, Tsunade reached toward the smooth tan forehead of the sleeping man when –

"Sa-Sasuke?"

Two tears trickled from beneath Naruto's closed eyelids and slid down his silky skin – disappearing into the pillow.

"Sasuke, I'm – I'm sorry… Sasuke. I tried. I really tried. I just… I just can't reach you. I can never reach you…"

The last of the blonde's plea was spoken with even more difficulty.

"Where are you, Sa-Sasuke? God, Sasuke. Please. Please… I need you, Sasuke. I need you to live, Sasuke, so – this time – you have to come for me… because… I… I don't think I can go to you anymore. I – "

And Tsunade wrapped her hands around Naruto's wet eyes and made the blonde man's dying apologies useless.

* * *

_"Hinata's pregnant. With my second son."_

Sasuke froze in his own confession, having heard the blonde's.

"Wh-what?" The raven-haired man choked out.

Naruto snickered, bitterly. "You know. I, um, almost went after you this morning, when you suddenly disappeared. I, er, got as far as the kunai training grounds and might have followed you straight out of Konoha – stupid, huh?" The blonde man shook his head briskly. "But, Tsunade came to tell me. My wife's pregnant and I realized where I needed to be…"

Sasuke felt his blood still as disappointment quickly transformed to anger in his veins. The Uchiha could already guess Naruto's next words.

"Right now, I want Hinata's happiness much more than mine." Naruto said, briskly – back to business once again. "And, more importantly, even more than yours."

The raven-haired man refused to reply, so the blonde quickly summarized.

"I _was_ in love with you, Uchiha Sasuke. And I want to leave it at that."

Naruto stared at Sasuke, waiting. But when the raven-haired man continued to be wordless, the blonde man simply shrugged and started toward the door. The change in the dobe was instantaneous – as it must be.

"Thanks for the spar." Naruto called brightly over his shoulder. "You are a terrific ninja, Sasuke baka. You are going to make some girl really happy."

"…stop…"

"If you are Gaara's counsel…" Naruto went on, pausing to rearrange his hokage robes on his shoulders and beaming at Sasuke in a friendly way. "You're going to be staying in Konoha for a while, huh? Maybe you can stay at Sakura-chan's house again. She's almost as pretty as Hinata-chan, don't you – "

"STOP IT DOBE!" Sasuke roared, drowning out the rest of Naruto's chirpy words. The black eyes had turned red in the raven-haired man's rage. "Damnit! Do you even have a _clue_ what you are doing? What the shit you are saying actually means?"

"Yes." Naruto replied, breezily. "I'm telling you it's over. You and I – we're done."

"You lie very badly, dobe." Sasuke spat.

"Does it matter whether I'm lying or not?" Naruto wanted to know. "I spent ten years living in a lie. But to me – unfortunately or fortunately – those ten are the happiest in my edited life. Frankly, you are way too late. I don't need you anymore, Uchiha Sasuke."

* * *

All reviews and comments are very welcome!

Please look forward to the next installment!


	7. Poisoned Heart

**Disclaimer**: Naruto is drawn and written by a fantastically splendid, wonderfully cute, and very talented manga artist Masashi Kishimoto. (Obviously, I don't own it.) On top of that, I don't own the terrific song, Give You Back by Vertical Horizon, which I listened to over and over while writing this fiction.

**In the Previous Chapter:** Naruto finally admits he is unreasonably attracted to Sasuke – though the raven-haired man is a stranger to him in almost every way but the subconscious. However, with the news of Hinata's pregnancy, Naruto is forced to put his priorities in order. Unfortunately, his list of priorities no longer include one Uchiha Sasuke…

**Chapter Six Rating: **R (for language and sexual descriptions)

**My E-mail:** rosesareblue at ymail dot com (Write me with any comments or suggestions. Remember, there's nothing like feedback that improves an author's moral/writing and keeps the chapters coming.)

**Give You Back**

_A SasuNaru Fic_

**by rosesareblue**

_And as you came along _

_Slowly everything began to change _

_I got you now._

Give You Back by Vertical Horizon

**Chapter Seven: Poisoned Heart**

Hinata walked slowly towards the Ninja Academy. As she made her way down the street, people bowed deeply in her direction. She was their queen – the wife of their great hokage-sama – and symbolized with her entire being the height of what the village of Konoha was and should always be. Thus, she must be treated with the utmost respect; she must be preserved in admiration. For her part, Hinata dipped her head back to every salute – looking as graceful and as beautiful as she was meant to look.

Hyuuga Hinata, after all, was Uzumaki Naruto's wife.

Brushing a long strand of black hair from her temple, Hinata came to a pause a little off from the academy. Because, in the distance, she'd just spotted her son. Her son had inherited her own glossy black hair and pale skin, but the rest of him was blessed with her husband's signs.

Uzumaki Amoto was in the middle of a crowd of little ninjas, boasting loudly about his shuriken skills. When another boy challenged him to show what he could do, Amoto's hands instantly flew to his hoister without a moment's hesitation. His target would be that tree in the distance – did his friends see?

Grinning boyishly, Amoto flew into the air. And the way his slender body arched in a smooth curve was Naruto's. The way Amoto's hair splashed over his forehead was Naruto's. Those piercing blue eyes – ever intent upon their target – was so unmistakably Naruto's. Hinata felt her heart swell all over again as she confirmed – once more in a million times – that Amoto was really Naruto's son.

_Naruto's son who was born from her own body._

Hinata felt a wave of relief flood her veins again at this very needed confirmation.

In the distance, Amoto's shurikens had firmly embedded themselves into – not the promised tree – but in the spine of the book (Icha Icha, of course) a passing academy teacher had been reading. Amongst the shrieking laughter of his friends, Amoto bolted with one angry teacher on his tails.

Hinata buried her mouth against her fist and giggled at her son's antics.

At her laugh – Amoto skidded to a halt (his irate teacher rushing past him and crashing into a nearby wall) – and cried, jumping up and down and waving, "KAA-SAN!"

Hinata wave back and, in seconds, Amoto had raced to his mother and was crutching the front of her dress.

"Kaa-san! What are you doing here?" Amoto asked, proudly ignoring his friend's far-off remarks. ("That's Amoto's mother! She looks like a princess, doesn't she?" and "My mom never looks that happy to see me. Lucky dobe…")

"There's a sale on cream puffs today." Hinata explained, smiling softly. "I thought you might want an afternoon snack…"

"Hurray!" Amoto cried, hugging his mother's waist.

"With milk?" Hinata added lightly.

Immediately Amoto pulled away, his cute face twisted into a horrific gagging expression.

"Awww… Kaa-san! Whoever heard of cream puffs with milk? Whoever heard of anything with milk? Milk is disgusting!"

Hinata giggled as Amoto pulled her by the hand towards the center of the village, glad that Amoto was looking forward to the idea (or, at least, the cream puff part of the idea). She was planning to tell Amoto that he'd soon be an older brother over the dessert. Hinata knew that Amoto would be as happy with the news as she'd been. As happy as Naruto had been…

As her son continued to complain about milk (every other comment accented by a distressed 'dattebayo'), Hinata felt that familiar wave of relief again. Her son sounded exactly like her husband. Amoto was – in ever-increasing ways – Naruto's soul. His legacy. The proof that Naruto had once existed.

Hinata knew with the firmest certainty that her love for her child exceeded all discernable reason – exceeded her own sense of self. What other woman was relieved by how much she loved her own son? What other mother measured her happiness solely with the number of evidences her son held? Because, for Hyuuga Hinata, maternal love was the severest religion – more than a duty, more than an emotion, more than a fixation…

Because, whether Hinata acknowledged it or not, Amoto – and the baby in her womb – made Naruto hers.

* * *

"Are you… ha… Are you okay, Hinata?"

Hinata lovingly stared up at Naruto and – with a trembling hand – brushed the sweat that trickled down his forehead.

"H-hai." Hinata nodded furiously, her breaths coming out in short gasps.

Naruto grinned, leaning down to kiss the hollow of her throat.

"That's good…" He murmured into her damp skin and rested his head against her breasts.

Hinata let her hands slide down Naruto's slick shoulder blades and come to a rest at the small of his back. Closing her eyes to his kisses, Hinata whispered quietly, "Na-Naruto-kun?"

Naruto lifted his head from her chest at that and, after briefly brushing his tongue against her unguarded right nipple, pulled himself off her and rested on his side, propping his head up on one arm. A half-smile on his lips as he playfully stared at his blushing girlfriend, Naruto reached over to brush a lock of black hair that clung to her wet skin.

"I was wondering whether you'd keep calling me Naruto-kun in bed too." Naruto's smile widened, and – whenever she thought back to that day – Hinata would remember Naruto in that manner. Glistening with sweat in the silver moonlight, his damp hair scattered across his forehead, a bronze-skinned god offering an unworthy worshipper the most heartbreaking smile. Hinata – whenever she thought back to that day – would feel ecstatic that she'd been the sole recipient of that beautiful smile in that moment. Then she'd quickly feel scared, because she was sure she hadn't paid a high enough price for the attention of this gorgeous god.

"But now I know, huh?" Naruto pulled Hinata towards him and kissed her gently on the forehead. "Ah, wait. You just called me Naruto when you were com – "

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata gasped, hitting his chest with her fist to cut him off. She could feel her cheeks burn and she wanted to die that moment – both from embarrassment and a warped pleasure.

Naruto laughed and ruffled her hair. "Why are you still so shy, Hinata-chan? I always feel like it's the first time with you, when it isn't."

Hinata lifted her head from her boyfriend's arms and met his blue eyes. After a long, labored silence, the small woman finally managed, "I al-always feel like a fantasying fan girl when I'm with you, Naruto-kun…"

Naruto laughed even more loudly at that. "Nandattebayo? What are you talking about, Hinata? Half the guys in Konoha are obsessed with you. And the other half had at least one wet dream, for sure…"

Hinata blushed darkly and felt Naruto shift so that he was lying on his back, moving her to rest on top of his chest now. She knew that she couldn't possibly explain to her boyfriend that what he'd just explained was his own case – not hers – if you just change the word guy to girl…

…even if you didn't change the word guy to girl…

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata fingered Naruto's abdomen, knowing that she was making the shape of the 'demon' seal that would appear on her boyfriend's stomach when he was in combat

"What, Hinata-chan?"

"I-I hope we have a b-boy. With blonde hair and blue eyes, l-like you N-naruto-kun."

The answer was a half-choke, half-gasp. And suddenly Naruto was sitting up in bed, having heaved her up with him to face her. Naruto was surprised – more than anything else – purely surprised.

"Are you, are you p-_pregnant_, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata tried to drop the intent blue stare, but Naruto kept her gaze steady with both his hands cupped around her face.

"I'm not sure. I – ah – maybe. N-n-no." Hinata finally choked out, biting her lips. "But, I, I wish I, I, I…"

Naruto didn't say anything for a while, then, "Do you w-want to, er, marry me, Hinata-chan?" Naruto swallowed thickly. "Marry me and, um, you know, make a f-family?"

She didn't even need a split second to answer.

"More than anything else in all the worlds, Naruto-kun." Hinata told him, seriously.

"Ha…" Naruto's warm fingers slide off her face and fell against the blanket. This time, it was Naruto who wouldn't meet her gaze. This time, it was Naruto who was speechless.

"Naruto-kun?"

"And, um, this was, ah, what you were thinking all the time we were, er, you know." Naruto swallowed thickly, nervously, and stared up at Hinata, absolutely adorable in his awkwardness.

"All the time we…?" Hinata repeated, curiously.

"You know, ah, thinking about a f-family all during the time I was ah, er, um, put-making love to you…" Naruto's face was now so red that it seemed to glow with a light of its own.

It was Hinata's turn to giggle. "I suppose so…"

"Gawd, I feel like such a jerk!" Naruto exclaimed, falling back into the covers of the bed. He wrapped his hands around his face and started to writhe upon the sheets. "I'm a major asshole! Someone just kill me – now! Gawh!"

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata timidly crawled on top of her boyfriend's stomach, straddling his waist so that she could look down at him carefully. The moonlight slid across Hinata's bare white shoulders and followed the shine of her black hair till it finally grazed Naruto's tan chest. They were a model couple – sealed in the moonlight as if on some private exhibition.

"I wasn't thinking about any of that when I was, ah, you know." Naruto confessed from behind his hands. "I wasn't really thinking about a family when I was having sex with you, Hinata-chan. To be perfectly honest, I was actually, um, only thinking about, er, you know, being, being, inside – "

"Making love?" Hinata teased lightly and she delighted in how Naruto's ears flamed at her light rebuke.

"This is very unlike you, Hinata-chan." Naruto complained curtly, still keeping his face covered. "That was a very sadistic thing to say."

"Gomen ne, Naruto-kun." Hinata giggled and gently pried his hands from his face. "I won't do it again; you can come out now…"

And Naruto told her like that, with her holding his hands, while they were both on top of his futon in his room that carried Naruto's heavenly scent, both bathed in the silver moonlight so everything looked like a fairy tale. Naruto – her boyfriend, her lover, her god – told her with slightly flushed cheeks, those words that she'd wanted so much to hear. Those words that she needed to hear – to save not only herself but also Naruto from a certain man's evil clutches…

"Hinata-chan… even if I… even if I'm not…" Naruto cleared his throat and started again. "If you'll have me, Hinata-chan, please marry me. Be my wife. I, ah, I guess I want a boy too."

Promptly, Hinata erupted into tears. It didn't matter, though, because there was really no need for Hinata to answer. Because Naruto already knew what her answer would be. Because it was the only answer Hinata had given her life for so very long.

* * *

"Sasuke."

Naruto stared up coolly at the now red and glowing eyes of the raven-haired man blocking his path to the door.

"Sasuke, get out of the way." Naruto's words were weighted and measured. "I must speak to Gaara. He's here on business – unlike you."

Sasuke glared back at Naruto – not breaking his gaze from the blonde man's face. Those familiar cerulean eyes were unfamiliarly hollow – they saw but didn't want to see Sasuke standing before them. Those familiar pink plump lips were twisted into an unfamiliar frown – not forgiving, not at ease, not hiding a smile. And suddenly, Sasuke saw the grown-up face of his Uzumaki Naruto merge with the childish face of that child – Amoto – than slowly flicker to the face of Hyuuga Hinata.

In the Uchiha's mind's eye, Hinata was smiling beautifully, smiling victoriously.

Because – Hinata's Uzumaki Naruto.

Sasuke's Uzumaki Naruto.

They could never be the same person.

And Sasuke's Naruto now only existed in Sasuke's own twisted memories. Only in his own twisted, fading memories…

"I'll say this only once more." Naruto breathed quietly, dangerously, "Sasuke baka, get out of the – "

Sasuke stepped forward and kissed Naruto. In the next moment, Sasuke kissed Naruto. And the kiss felt just like it should – just as Sasuke had remembered. The same heavenly softness, the same feathery dampness, the same taste of at last grasping something surreal…

The raven-haired man's arm wound firmly around the blonde's shoulders, pulling the shocked, frozen dobe closer. Sasuke's tongue pushed through Naruto's stiff lips and delved into the hot wetness of the dobe's mouth – stroking the blonde's teeth, glazing against the tongue, and sliding still deeper into Naruto's warmest heat –

"Wha-what-mmph!" Naruto tried to jerk his head away, his body finally coming to its senses. "What are you – umph!"

But Sasuke wouldn't let go. And this time, it was the Uchiha who'd had the advantage of a good grip. Tilting his head downward, Sasuke efficiently subdued Naruto's tongue – too-late struggling against Sasuke's – and stole tastes of all the sweetness of the blonde's mouth. It was just like he remembered. Just like he remembered…

"STOP IT!"

Naruto had at last worked his arm in between himself and the Uchiha and had pushed against Sasuke's chest – breaking the one-sided kiss and keeping his once lover away at arm's length. The two stared at each other, their breaths coming out in shaky, short gasps and mingling in the short space between them.

Sasuke could still smell Naruto. And Naruto could still taste Sasuke – heavy and delicious on his tongue.

"Stop it, Sasuke." Naruto hissed and Sasuke delighted in a faint blush that was finally – finally! – creeping upon his dobe's cheek. "Stop it. This is, this is wrong. You and I – we are _wrong_, don't you understand that?"

Sasuke forced the casual smirk and breathed against Naruto's nose.

"But then, how come you taste so good? If this is wrong, how come you feel so…"

Sasuke whispered a kiss against Naruto's firmly set lips.

"…perfect?"

"Let me go."

Naruto's voice was now faintly trembling so Sasuke cut him off before he could say anything more.

"You are stronger than I am, Naruto. You went out of your way to prove that. If you don't stop me – you want this as much as I do.

When he forced his lips against Naruto's once again, Sasuke knew very well what he was doing was wrong.

But that didn't change how heavenly the kiss with Naruto tasted at all. If only… if only his dobe would kiss back…

…kiss back…

…kiss back, Naruto…

* * *

A sixteen-year old Naruto stared down at a sleeping sixteen-year old Sasuke. After a while of gazing at the stark-white features and the obsidian-black locks and marveling over how his lover looked so, so rarely vulnerable, the blonde man leaned down to curiously press his own lips against the raven-haired man's.

Hmmm…

Naruto licked his lips, his expression twitching with concentration. After a long moment, Naruto leaned his head down again – this time taking Sasuke's lower lip between his own lips and sucking softly, very softly. After a moment more of this administration, Naruto straightened up once more and slumped in puzzlement.

Hah….

With a sudden start, Naruto got on his knees and, after sucking on his forefinger for a while, carefully inserted the wet finger between the Uchiha's lips and rubbed the tip against the bigger boy's tongue. Sliding out the now very slick finger, Naruto slid the fingertip back in between his own lips and sucked again in quiet contemplation.

Ah… So, that was what it was…

Chuckling to himself, Naruto was just about ready to lie down and get some sleep when a slightly annoyed Sasuke opened his eyes into little slits and hissed, "Oi. Dobe."

"GAH!" Naruto screamed, almost tumbling off his bed. Luckily, Sasuke wrapped an arm around the blonde's slim waist that moment, preventing the eminent fall.

Naruto stared sheepishly into his lover's eyes and, with feigned innocence, chirped, "Sa-Sasuke! Er, um, wow! I thought, uh, you were, er, sleeping. It's so late and all. Gawd, I'm tired! Well, gonna turn in. G'night, Sasuke-teme. Sleep – "

But Sasuke wouldn't let his arm free, pulling the blonde man down on top of his chest so that Naruto was looking straight into that dangerous, cold (and needlessly handsome) face.

"What were you doing, dobe? Was that a private erotic show or a secret fetish with other people's mouths?"

"You saw…" Naruto drawled, uneasily.

If Sasuke were a lesser man, he would have uttered, "Duh." Instead, he just gave a pointed look, equivalent of an implicit 'duh'.

"Since when?" Naruto wanted to know.

"Since you woke up." Sasuke replied curtly. "I can tell when you aren't sleeping because you aren't drooling on me."

"I NEVER DROOL!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Whatever." The Uchiha cut him off. "Just tell me what you were doing."

"I – ah – er – um – gosh, Sasuke. It really is late, I think we should – "

"Talk about what you were doing." Sasuke finished.

If Naruto were a lesser man, he would have definitely "eep!"ed. Instead, he just turned the color of an over-ripened tomato.

"I was, ah, m-memorizing how your, um, your, kiss tasted like." Naruto finally confessed, his face still flaming.

"What?"

"You know, your kiss." Naruto was blushing cutely (not realizing that his flushed cheeks were making a certain raven-haired man's masculine regions come to life). "I was trying to, you know, remember the taste."

Sasuke smirked and, moving to give himself room, demanded, "And? What's your analysis, dobe?"

"Not as good as miso, but pretty okay." Naruto grinned.

Over the heads of the two boys, an abrupt bolt of lightening cracked.

"Pretty okay?"

"Un." Naruto murmured sleepily and started to snuggle beneath the blankets, brushing his naked leg against Sasuke's thigh as he settled down. "Pretty okay."

"And my kiss ranks _beneath_ miso."

"Un. But it was a pretty close call."

"I see."

"Well, g'night Sasuke-teme."

"G'night Naruto."

Just as the blonde was drifting off, he felt something hot against his lips. Naruto's eyes flew open, to see Sasuke leaning his head down to purposefully nibble against the blonde's lips.

"Wh-whar-ya-doing-Asuke?" Naruto demanded, finding it hard to talk with Sasuke's tongue now darting between his lips.

Sasuke pulled back, briefly, and lifted an elegant eyebrow in a sadistic smirk. "Just testing how your kiss tastes like, dobe. You don't want me to forget, do you?"

"Sasuke…" Naruto spoke uneasily, realization dawning. "You are not by any chance sore that, ah, that you ranked below miso ramen, right?"

"Of course not." Sasuke smiled stiffly. "I'm just going to show you what miso ramen can't do for you that I can."

And that was when Naruto knew that he'd just dug his own grave.

"Sasuke, I love you?"

"Shut up and go back to sleep so I can molest you like you so deserve, dobe."

"Sa-sa- ah! AH! Sasu – gyah! That's not a kiss! That's definitely not a GYAH!"

"But it feels good, right?"

"What? Why's that a questi-argh! SASUKE BAKA!"

Sasuke smirked, almost good-naturedly, when Naruto tried (in vain) to pull the roaming raven-haired man's hands out of his pants.

"Come on, Naruto. Do you want me to _forget_ how screwing you senseless feels like? Do you?"

"You have a pretty bad memory if you need a reminder everyday." Naruto blushed darkly, his tugs against the raven-haired man's hands lightening only slightly.

"Awww… are you worried about me?" Sasuke asked lightly. "Stop being such a mother, Naruto."

"Gawd, I hope you don't do this to your own mother, Sasuke." Naruto glowered back, looking pointedly at Sasuke's lap.

Sasuke chuckled throatily (making Naruto wonder why God made Sasuke – Sasuke, out of all people – the world's most prominent sex-on-legs) and let his hand slither around the blonde's slender body to get a grip of the smaller boy's rear. "Why are you resisting so much? Do you intend to become a fan of abstinence some time soon? In which case I'll have to become a rapist…"

"Shut up, Uchiha." The blonde muttered, at last deciding to go for the 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em' technique by rubbing back against Sasuke's suggestive caresses and closing his eyes contemplatively. "It sounds serious when you say it."

"But I'm serious, dobe." Sasuke grinned and bent to kiss Naruto's now (much more) willing lips. "So don't go off any time soon. I need you – you know – to remind me."

"Are you kidding?" This time, it was the dobe who wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck to pull the bigger boy closer. "My mission in life is to stick around and annoy you till the end of my days. Just as long as you pay me back in blow jobs…"

Sasuke laughed – actually laughed – at that and sunk his weight fully down on top of his Naruto.

And Naruto purred – just because Sasuke was that close.

* * *

"I SAID OFF!"

Naruto half-choked, half-roared, as he pushed fiercely against Sasuke's chest, emerging from the kiss with flushed cheeks and a humiliated grimace. Dragging his arm across his lip as if he could physically remove the recent kisses, Naruto, gasping, vehemently glared at the silently panting raven-haired man in front of him – who might have looked guilty save the genuine smile that had subconsciously floated to his lips.

And on seeing Uchiha Sasuke's smile – Naruto – maybe for the first time in ten, long years – wanted to cry.

It was such a beautiful smile – Uchiha Sasuke had the most beautiful smile Naruto had ever seen. The ivory man's smooth lips were curved slightly, with the care, with the suspicion of one who knows how rare the smile itself is. This smile said it all. It told of how the Uchiha enjoyed the kiss despite Naruto's being an ass about it, how this moment of vulnerability was so exceptional for the raven-haired man – yet how he was boldly willing himself risk it for Naruto's sake – and how…how… the Uchiha was waiting.

_Waiting for Naruto to crush his heart._

It was one of the most foolish things anyone could do. And – because of its stupidity – Naruto was touched by it. Touched in a place in his chest that he didn't even know existed. And Naruto suddenly didn't understand. Naruto didn't understand Hinata. Naruto didn't understand Sasuke. And, above all, Naruto didn't understand himself.

"Wha-what do you want me to do, Sasuke?" Naruto finally said after a long silence, running his arm carelessly past his lips again. "Do you want me to leave Hinata? Leave Amoto? Just so I can be your-your wh – "

Naruto almost said the word 'whore'. Fortunately, he stopped himself just in time from uttering the insulting word. Unfortunately, Sasuke already knew what his dobe wanted to say.

"Aa, Naruto." Sasuke whispered. "I want you to be mine again. My whore. My lover. My whatever – I don't care. I just want you to be mine again."

Naruto darted a challenging glance up at Sasuke. "After ten years?"

Sasuke nodded, consenting to the challenge. "After ten years."

And Naruto – even Naruto – couldn't check the accidental smile that lifted the corners of his lips.

* * *

"Isn't that wonderful, Amoto?"

His mother was smiling at him from across the table in the cream puff shop. And – because he loved his mother very, very much – Uzumaki Amoto wanted to sincerely smile back. But he couldn't. He just couldn't. Because it wasn't wonderful. It really wasn't.

So, Amoto just ended up faking a grin – the sweet cream puffs suddenly having turned stale in his mouth.

"A boy? Or a girl?" Amoto forced himself to brightly ask. And then he added, because he knew it was what his mother wanted to hear, "I hope the baby will be a younger brother."

Hinata beamed.

"Un. I can tell. It will be a boy."

"Hurray!" Amoto cheered and quickly stuffed a cream puff in his mouth so his mother couldn't expect him to say more. He somehow didn't like the way his mother seemed so, so happy about the new baby. Did she want another child that much? Why would she want another child, when she already had Amoto?

"Does jii jii know?" Amoto blurted. "What does jii jii say?"

"He couldn't be happier." Hinata cooed.

"Wonderful." Amoto chirped, feeling straightforwardly horrible.

* * *

Naruto walked into the kitchen of the Hyuuga mansion, having left his duties early once again. He knew he was letting his problems get in the way of his hokage duties – an unforgivable crime for a ninja, whatever be the situation. Naruto'd better shape up – for Konoha's sake. Or, at least, for his counsel Konohamaru's sake…

By the absence of their shoes, Naruto had already guessed Hinata and Amoto were out. He'd wanted to see them – especially his wife – to firm his resolve. Only with the willpower Naruto had mastered these ten years had he just now managed to break away from that Uchiha Sasuke's enthralling, smoky gaze – still waiting for Naruto's answer – and, mustering his hokage voice, ordered Gaara to let him out of the room.

And – not a single glance over his shoulder – Naruto had left Sasuke without another exchange of words. Naruto only bowed formally to Gaara out of habit – though he was a little peeved with the red-haired man for bringing the Uchiha too damn close. Too, too damn close.

Naruto buried his lips against the back of his hand and cursed lightly under his breath.

Pulling out a chair, Naruto sat at the kitchen table and tried to put together his thoughts. But the blonde had trouble letting anything but guilt wash over him. The entire kitchen smelled like Hinata – soft, gentle, forgiving. The table was meticulously clean – but then, Hinata was always thorough about her housework. And, in the vase in the center of the table, Hinata had arranged pure white lilies. Naruto found himself remembering that those had been the flowers in her wedding bouquet only seven years ago.

And Naruto couldn't bear to think about Sasuke.

Getting to his feet, Naruto wandered through his huge house – the Hyuuga family was Konoha's greatest bloodline, after all. The blonde could taste the tradition in the air in this house. A very long, extremely powerful tradition. And Naruto had married into this tradition. He had married into this great, historic family. Family.

Finally, Naruto stopped in front of Amoto's room. Creaking the door open, a faint smell of ramen hit his nose. Naruto knew that his son must have been sneaking ramen as a mid-night snack in his room. And, despite Hinata's cleaning, Amoto somehow managed to keep his own room comfortably messy. Brightly colored jumpsuits were strewn everywhere, a hoister there, a stray kunai here, misplaced scrolls, several crumpled awards received in the academy, the numerous CD games that Naruto himself had given to his son last Christmas…

And Naruto suddenly hated that he'd let Sasuke kiss him.

He needed to escape. Naruto needed to escape. Moving quickly, Naruto flew out of his house and raced towards to his special retreat…

Next to the great lake in the heart of Konoha, near the playgrounds, there was a wooden dock that ran out to the middle of the river. Naruto came here often because it reminded him of a place that he should return to – almost like a home - if he didn't have his own home in the first place…

Naruto plopped down on the end of the dock, letting his feet dangle close to the surface of the water. After a quick calculation of the causes and effects of what he was planning, Naruto closed his eyes. And then, the dobe did what he knew he should have done a long, long time ago.

Asked for help.

* * *

Naruto wadded through the shallow water down the darkened corridor. Finally, he found himself in front of a wall of bars. From behind the bars, in the shadows, a harsh breathing was heard. He was in the right place.

"Damn fox!" Naruto yelled, into the depths of black. "I need you!"

Two red eyes suddenly appeared in the black and a booming voice chuckled. "Isn't this a surprise – I thought I'd never see you again. You know, now that you are man enough not to whine about every little thing that happens to you and can keep some emotions in check…"

When Naruto didn't answer, the fox sneered, "Not as runty as you were before, either – you look more and more like the cursed man that locked me in this place."

"I'm not here to chat about random things, damn fox." Naruto snapped. "I'm here because I need you to answer some questions."

"And what makes you think I'm obliged to answer?" The fox boomed.

"Because I'm asking." Naruto replied calmly. "You and I share a consciousness whether we like it or not, dam fox – and you want to answer. I can tell that you want to answer."

The fox chuckled. "You are here to ask me about the boy – about Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto nodded. "You remember him?"

Kyuubi had come forth from the shadows and his curved lips were visible.

"How can I forget Sasuke?" Kyuubi leered. "I can still taste him – his flavor is so strong. What you do with Hinata isn't enough to pique my interest."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The blonde squawked indignantly.

"It means: are you sure you are doing it right?"

Naruto blushed darkly. "Shut up, damn fox, and just show me what you know."

"Of course."

And Naruto found himself spiraling in darkness as Kyuubi's memories flooded into him…

* * *

Author's Note: Hello everyone. I'm always thankful for your reviews! And… I know I speak for a majority of author's when I say this… A good, insightful review gets the creative juices pumping. A lot of readers simply write 'Good. Update!' I'm glad for these reviews as well – I really am (at least they were very considerate to leave a note that they read my fic, right?) – but if the reader really wants me to update faster, he or she could actually help by giving me great feedback on what they felt and thought. For instance, I wrote the majority of this chapter after readingone review. Readers, your reviews are never lost.

Thanx for all the love and I'll see you in the next chapter!


	8. He Who Covets The Past

**Disclaimer**: Naruto is drawn and written by a fantastically splendid, wonderfully cute, and very talented manga artist Masashi Kishimoto. (Obviously, I don't own it.) On top of that, I don't own the terrific song, Give You Back by Vertical Horizon, which I listened to over and over while writing this fiction.

**In the Previous Chapter:** Realizing that his Naruto – the Naruto that still lives in the Uchiha's memories – is fading away, Sasuke forces himself on Naruto in a desperate attempt to bring the past back. Naruto, finding that he can't resist the Uchiha's words or kisses, finally decides to ask Kyuubi for his lost memories…

**Chapter Eight Rating: **R (for language and sexual descriptions)

**My E-mail:** rosesareblue at ymail dot com (Write me with any comments or suggestions. Remember, there's nothing like feedback that improves an author's moral/writing and keeps the chapters coming.)

**Give You Back**

_A SasuNaru Fic_

**by rosesareblue**

_And as the vision fades_

_I'll say I was blinded by your eyes_

_I felt them burn_

Give You Back by Vertical Horizon

**Chapter Eight: He Who Covets the Past**

Naruto blinked. He was peering into the darkness of a dimly lit bedroom. As his eyes adjusted to the lack of light, he made out the two bodies on the futon in the far wall of the room. It only took a split second after that to figure out what the two forms were doing.

The smaller boy's legs were draped over the shoulders of the bigger man and his back was arched back so that his golden hair was rubbing agonizingly into the fabric of the futon. Jagged breathing broke the fevered air as the blonde writhed and cried out.

"Sa- sasuke! It – nnnnnnn – aaaahhhh!"

The raven-haired man panted, sweat sliding off his ivory skin.

"Wha-what's wrong n-now, dobe?"

"Sa-Sa-Sasu – it-it doesn't – I can't – "

The bigger man's face bloomed into a beautiful smile at that. He paused to plant a kiss on the blonde's cheeks wet with tears of pain.

"You are the one that wanted to try it."

"I didn't know you wouldn't fit!" The blond protested, his voice trembling.

Another kiss. Then, "You'll just have to make me fit, then."

A scream erupted from the blonde as the raven-haired man jerked his body closer again. Naruto watched, his face growing hotter and hotter, as the blonde twisted and cried on the futon as the raven-haired man thrust his hips in increasing speed.

Gawd – could that really be – who else had those whisker marks? – and the raven-haired man – it couldn't possibly be –

"SASUKE!"

Okay, so that answered that question…

The blonde whipped his head back and forth on the futon, all the while drawing the raven-haired man closer with his legs.

"Na-Naruto-"

"Uwaaah – Sa-Sa – "

"Do you have anything other than this?" Naruto roared, his face flaming and his heart racing.

From somewhere, Kyuubi's voice cackled evilly. "What? And you don't think this is sexy? Just wait – after this we can see the Uchiha give you a blowjob. And, I must say, he's really good. And then after that – "

"NO!" Naruto screamed. "No, I do not want to see Sasuke give me a blowjob! Don't you have some other important memory? Where we are both dressed?"

"But I didn't take care to remember those in detail. Besides, there aren't that many anyway." Kyuubi sneered. "Sasuke didn't really like it when you put on clothes…"

"ARRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!"

* * *

"Oh, I liked this one." Kyuubi hissed cheerfully.

Naruto blinked again, now finding himself in some kind of meadow. The blonde squinted against the sunlight, looking around. This scene starkly contrasted with the one before; everything was just too damn bright.

"Where are we?" Naruto wanted to know.

"In our memories." Kyuubi said curtly.

The hokage made a face. "Stop being cheeky, damn fox. I mean, _where_ are we? We seem to be worlds away form that bedroom."

Kyuubi snorted. "Only a few kilometers."

"Why are we moving around so much, Sasuke and I?"

"That's what missing nins do, dobe." Kyuubi replied sharply.

Naruto's eyes grew huge, "I was a – "

"A missing nin, yes. Along with Sasuke." Kyuubi's voice wasn't mildly sarcastic. "You were so ready to toss away honor for your _love_, Naruto-_kun_. Remember – oh, that's right, you can't remember – you wanted so much to free your dear, _dear_ Sasuke from mean, bad Itachi that you agreed to become an accomplice in _murder_…"

"Who? Itachi? Who's…"

Naruto trailed off in mid-question because, just that moment, he'd spotted his younger self and Sasuke. The sight made him nonplus and his mouth became instantly dry. He swallowed loudly.

It wasn't like the bedroom scene in that, this time, both boys were fully dressed and sitting up, side by side. They weren't even having sex – just kissing. But the way the two were making out made a chill rush up through Naruto's spine.

The blonde's hands were tangled in the raven-haired boy's hair. With a freakish desperation, Naruto was urgently moving his lips against Sasuke's. In response, Sasuke was almost crushing the smaller boy's frame in his embrace and kissing back with equal force. As if evidencing the strength behind the kisses, the blonde's jaw line was decorated with small blue bruises.

Naruto moaned abruptly, coming up for air, but Sasuke didn't pause, pushing the blonde's chin up and attacking his neck with unaltered vigor. The pale boy's red tongue was massaging the blonde's neck and sliding over his Adam's apple. The smaller boy groaned in hungry frustration and roughly tugged down the front of his own shirt to allow the Uchiha better access to his neck.

Soon, Naruto had pulled Sasuke's head back up again to meet his lips and the two fell back on to glass, the Uchiha's body almost entirely covering Naruto's, and seemed to wrestle against each other – an intense competition of who could pull the other still closer.

Desperation, so much desperation…

Gods, Sasuke, I want you, I want you so much, Sasuke, Sasuke…

The present Naruto tore his eyes away. Staring at the hungry lovers, he could almost read his former self's desperate thoughts and it disturbed him. But though he could force himself not to see, he couldn't prevent the frantic groans his younger self was making.

Did he have no pride? Why was he… why was he…

_Begging_. So blatantly begging.

But the present Naruto couldn't keep his eyes off for long. He found himself turning back to look again, watching his younger self wrap his arms around the Uchiha's neck, which was now glossy with sweat. The blonde's shirt had torn from the raven-haired man's pulls, but this seemed to be the furthest worry from both the young ninjas' minds. Naruto was now spreading his legs and using them to pull Sasuke between them, rubbing his groin up against the Uchiha. The raven-haired man seemed to enjoy being humped – he definitely sounded like it anyway – and the present Naruto felt his cheeks burn again.

Unfortunately, this was not the only bodily reaction.

"Aww, Naru-chan." Kyuubi's voice cackled all around him. "Is this memory making you happy?"

"Shut up!" Naruto hissed angrily. "Just shut up."

* * *

Suddenly, they were in the entrance of an alleyway. But Naruto was quickly getting used to these quick scene changes. Just a few steps away, the streets bustled with eager shoppers but the blonde already knew not to look there. Only a few more steps into the shadowed streets revealed the two lovers to the blonde man once again.

This time, he and Sasuke must have been around sixteen…seventeen…?

Sasuke had Naruto by the wrist, forcing the smaller boy against a brick wall. The other hand – frantic, searching – was already shoved under the blonde's shirt and ruthlessly twisting at the hidden nipple. Naruto might have complained if his mouth had been less occupied. Glossy tongues smashed against glossy teeth as the two boys drank each other in.

Slowly, Naruto's arms – which had been wound around Sasuke's neck – untangled themselves and slid down the raven-haired boy's slender frame. The blonde's long, tanned fingers immediately went to work on the waistband of Sasuke's pants. In seconds, one groping hand was inside the raven-haired-boy's pants and –

"Damnit, Naruto!" Sasuke hissed into his dobe's lips. "What the – "

The rest of his words were silenced by Naruto's mouth finding his again. The groping hand still hadn't emerged from the pants and Sasuke's violent shudders were very good indicators of the kind of job the said hand was doing.

The adult Naruto buried his face into his hands and let out a drawn out sigh of exasperation. "Okay, those two are just stupid. They are missing nins. An anbu force is patrolling the marketplace. But they are humping each other next to a dumpster!"

"You were young." Kyuubi's voice was half-mocking, half-soothing. "Of course you were stupid."

"Na-" Sasuke was gasping into Naruto's neck. "Na-Naruto!"

When the sixteen-year-old blonde drew his head up momentarily to gaze – hazy eyed – at the raven-haired-boy, Sasuke tilted his head to the side to say lazily, "You s-sure you don't need both hands for this mission?"

Naruto snorted and swiftly withdrew sticky fingers to wiggle them tauntingly before his lover's face. "Don't be crude, baaaaaaaaka." Naruto popped his fingers into his mouth to lick them like lollipops. "Hey! You taste better during the day!"

Sasuke snorted too, still shivering sensually, "How d-does that work?"

"I'm gonna find out. Wish me luck!"

With an impish grin, Naruto ducked from Sasuke's sight as he fell to his knees.

Adult Naruto let out another drawled out groan as Kyuubi started to chuckle hysterically at the moaning teenagers.

"Do they even realize that the anbu finally caught onto their presence?" Naruto asked the fox, watching his younger self draw Sasuke farther into his mouth. "I can sense ninjas approaching."

"Dun worry." Kyuubi quipped. "You didn't get caught."

"I must have given one hell of a fast blow job…" Naruto mused.

"Nope." Kyuubi cackled. "The anbu was put out of sorts because you went right on sucking through their whole 'Freeze! We've got you surrounded!' speech."

"What!" Naruto barked. "Can I get any stupider?"

"Sure, you told them that they should wait for awhile longer because it was Sasuke's turn next."

When Naruto didn't say anything more – utterly speechless – Kyuubi added, unhelpfully, "Sasuke was pretty stupid then too. He told the anbu leader to stop ogling you because he didn't like orgies unless they were with your kage bunshins…"

"NEXT MEMORY!"

* * *

Naruto watched his twelve-year-old self throw himself flat on his back on the rooftop of his past apartment. He knew – somehow – what his younger self was thinking – clearly, perfectly. Maybe Kyuubi had something to do with this, maybe it was the effect of his own returning memories, but now, Naruto could read his younger self's mind like a book. He remembered why he was here. Why the young Naruto was closing his eyes and swallowing loudly in preparation.

Sucking in his breath like a human vacuum, the blonde began.

"I love you; I love you; I love you; I love you; I love you…"

The wind was kinda warm. Kinda cold. Perfect.

"I love you; I love you; I love you…"

He was trying to picture her in his mind. Sakura. His crush. Right.

"I love you; I love you; I love you; I love you…"

Naruto remembered having heard the academy girls talking about it once. If you confessed your love to the stars a thousand times – with the image of your beloved burned into your mind – your desire would be fulfilled. So, here he was – stupidly trying it out to see if Sakura would ever look at him with any of that adoration she reserved for Sasuke.

Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke…

"I love you; I love you; I love you…"

What was so great about that guy anyway? Sure, he was good looking – but just as gloomy. And broody. And moody. And conceited. Always strutting around in white shorts for god's sakes – did he think he was some big shot tennis player or something?

"I love you; I love you; I love you…"

And what was the stupid bandages for, huh? Gawd, maybe he had purple rashes hidden underneath them for all he and the other academy girls knew… Right, a scarred Uchiha Sasuke…

"I love you; I love you…"

The jerk would probably somehow pull it off to. Sasuke would probably make the girls think that warts were some symbol of sexuality. Gawd, he was such a freak! They were fucking twelve for fucking sakes and still the Uchiha somehow pulled off the 'want me, want me' vibes. Maybe it had something to do with that weird dark shirt?

"I love you; I love you; I love you; I love you…"

Most probably the shirt. Naruto could just picture Sasuke now, strutting around with that stupid fan thingy on his back – only looking back now and then to mutter usuratonkachi under his breath. One day, he'd show him! Naruto would show that baka who was the better ninja!

Naruto coughed loudly, seething so much that he choked on his next 'I love you'.

Just like that jerk! Interrupting Naruto's attempt to win Sakura by creeping – uninvited, of course – into his mind. Sasuke baka, Sasuke baka, Sasuke baka…

"I love you; I love you; I love you…"

The night was becoming colder now. Naruto had forgotten how many times he'd said the words. His tongue seemed to be on auto-track as his mind filled with images of a certain raven haired boy.

"I love you; I love you; I love you; I love you; I love you…"

The adult Naruto immediately sensed the presence of an intruder – though the young Naruto still obliviously recited his chant. As the adult Naruto watched, Uchiha Sasuke unfolded out of the night and silently stalked up to the unsuspecting blonde.

"Oi, dobe. What are you doing?"

"I love you, Sasuke."

Kyuubi's voice suddenly exploded through the night sky.

"Awww, isn't that sweet? Iity-bity wittle Naru-chan loves iity-bity wittle Sasu-chan! Isn't that funny?"

"Shut up." Naruto croaked quietly, looking at his younger self get into a heated argument with a younger Sasuke about who said what and who didn't say what.

"_It's the least funny thing I've ever seen._"

In the next memory, Kyuubi and Naruto were in a wrecked hospital room. Naruto's startled eyes took in the horrific mess. Broken furniture scattered everywhere – spilt liquids dripped from counters – pills and shattered glass were strewn all over the place – and in the middle of it all was Naruto's own past form. The blonde boy was crumpled upon the floor, barely breathing as he clutched his own ripped sides.

With a clatter, Tsunade and Hinata burst into the room. At the sight of them, Naruto almost instinctively accosted the vision of Hinata – her pretty face was so wrought with terrified despair as she trembled against her mentor's arm that it was pitiful to see. But before he could even move, the small woman gave a shrill cry and tripped forward – over the broken glass – towards the fallen blonde man.

The slim woman knelt down next to the harshly breathing Naruto and wrapped her arms around his head, sobbing, sobbing again, "N-Naruto-kun… Gomen ne, Naruto-kun… Gomen ne, gomen ne…"

Naruto couldn't make out what his wife was whispering to him but he saw his past self twitch his arm and desperately reach out – as if – even now – he was trying to drag his own broken body away from this woman who was clutching onto him so frantically. Still wanting to escape. Still wanting to die.

Then, a quiet sound burst from the blonde boy's chapped lips.

"…ah…"

It was surprising that the blonde man could even make the sound.

"Sa – sa – "

Eyes growing wide, Tsunade shot forth and heaved the blonde man into her arms – trying to muffle his voice and his wish. But Naruto and Kyuubi heard. And Hinata heard.

"Sasuke…" The injured Naruto was croaking. "…Sasuke…please…Sa…"

"ARE YOU CRAZY!" Naruto found himself screaming, swept up by rare emotions, and glaring at his own past form. "LOOK AT YOURSELF, GODAMNIT! WHAT WERE YOU EXPECTING?"

"…Sasu… I'm… I'm…"

"Shh, brat, shh…" Tsunade's voice trembled. "I'll heal you. This time, I'll heal you properly."

"…Sa…Sa…"

"You were such a single-minded kit." Kyuubi hissed to a seething Naruto at his side. "So fatally single-minded…"

Fox and man watched the memory together – till the forbidden jutsu was performed. They watched Tsunade and Hinata make their silent pack of sin. They watched Naruto's past single-mindedness fade into oblivion with those last words:

"Sasuke, I'm – I'm sorry… Sasuke. I tried. I really tried. I just… I just can't reach you. I can never reach you…"

The blonde boy's tears were liberating to watch.

"Where are you, Sa-Sasuke? God, Sasuke. Please. Please… I need you, Sasuke. I need you to live, Sasuke, so – this time – you have to come for me… because… I… I don't think I can go to you anymore. I – "

At last, Tsunade wrapped her hands around Naruto's teary eyes and made the blonde man's dying heart live again.

* * *

Naruto traveled with Kyuubi through his memories and saw too many obsessions, too many hurtful evidences of how truly single-sided his life had been. Naruto's feelings for Sasuke had started by envying what Sasuke was. Later, he'd stripped from this superficial rivalry and swallowed the seductive taste of an unorthodox friendship. Then, he'd trained to free Sasuke from Orochimaru. Still more, he'd learn to kill to save his best friend.

Naruto learned again why he really dispersed the Sound, why he'd torn apart the Akatsuki, why he couldn't rest when he realized that no one had found Uchiha Itachi's dead body – it was all for that one person. Naruto saw the scene in the desert, where he had his first sexual experience with Sasuke. He witnessed how he'd found that his obsession for the raven-haired man could not decently be explained by simple words like 'envy', 'rivalry', or even 'love'.

After that, Naruto had progressed to consciously committing himself to doing what he'd subconsciously been doing all his life: drowning himself in the one Uchiha Sasuke.

He'd promised the Uchiha to help him with his duty as an avenger in hopes that Sasuke would become human again – in hopes that the raven-haired man would let someone love him again. In due time, maybe Sasuke would return a little bit of that obsession that Naruto had devoted. Maybe.

Like this, Naruto had lived for Sasuke. Naruto had lived to make Sasuke live. And when – after a long, long time – Naruto realized he could never really reach Sasuke – never claim the heart of his obsessions – his life-long devotion had neatly crumpled in the face of Tsunade's jutsu. Crumpled partly because Hinata and Tsunade had willed it. Crumpled mainly because Naruto had wanted it that way.

In conclusion, Naruto had erased Sasuke because Naruto loved Sasuke too, too much.

* * *

The last memory that returned to Naruto was neither a happy one or a particularly sad one. Perhaps, it was just the realest one. Even Kyuubi – who probably did not know the meaning of the word consideration – left Naruto alone to encounter the final missing piece of his own mind.

This memory, Naruto saw through his younger self's own eyes:

"What the fuck is the matter with you, dobe?" Sasuke hissed into Naruto's ear. When the blonde didn't answer, the bigger boy took him by the arm in explosive frustration, jerking the smaller boy around to face him. "Nothing's wrong, goddamnit!"

"Nothing's wrong?" Naruto's voice was cracking – strangely high pitched. "You say nothing's wrong?"

"Are you a girl? Should I have taken responsibility of you, usuratonkachi?" Sasuke's voice was layered with anger – chilly – dangerous. "Should I beg? Get on my knees with some goddamn ring?"

Naruto met Sasuke's cold glare – met the bottomless black gaze – with icy blue eyes that were just too tired to care anymore. "You think that's what I'm asking of you?"

"I don't know." Sasuke hissed back. "I don't know what you are asking – and, frankly, I don't fucking care."

"I know." Naruto didn't have the energy to feel hurt. "I know you don't care."

Sasuke flinched at the words, glowering at Naruto. For a minute, the raven-haired boy's fingers trembled as if he'd hit the blonde boy in front of him – Naruto was expecting no less – when, suddenly, his hands fell lax and Sasuke sighed, wearily.

"…shit."

Naruto was silent for a long time. Finally, the blonde drew closer to the raven-haired boy to rest his forehead against his shoulder. Sasuke wondered if Naruto was crying.

Of course, he wasn't.

"Sasuke… we are horrible for one another. We – "

" – don't work." Sasuke finished his dobe's sentence, draping his hands over Naruto's slim shoulders and nodded. "Yeah. I know."

"Can't be more fucked up."

"That's right…" Sasuke let a tired smirk shape his lips, " 'cept interplay."

"Duh." Naruto laughed weakly because there was nothing else to do. " 'cept that…"

"So, are you going to start reading me your goodbyes?" Sasuke tried again, half-kidding, half-not.

But Naruto was completely serious.

"How can I say goodbye to the only person that's real in my world?" Naruto wondered. "How can I say goodbye when I spent my entire life erasing everyone but you?"

With a drawn out sigh, Naruto let his fingers fall to the buttons of his shirt. Undoing each notch, the blonde revealed the beautiful green gem that lay sparkling against the coffee-brown of his chest. Loosening the Hokage necklace, Naruto reached around Sasuke's neck to tie on his greatest treasure.

"You're the only dream I have left, Sasuke." Naruto whispered. "Please, don't fail me."

Sasuke felt his throat tighten, the weight of the necklace incredible around his neck.

"Come true, Sasuke." Naruto pleaded. "Come back to me."

"When – when I kill Itachi – " Sasuke almost stuttered.

Naruto felt his heart crumple for the billionth time in his relationship with the raven-haired man. "I don't care when. Come back to me, Sasuke."

* * *

By the time Kyuubi returned to Naruto, the blonde was crying – actually crying – crumpled in the darkest corner of his own empty mind.

"So, kit, what did you find out from all these memories?"

Naruto stared up at the foxes gleaming red eyes and shuddered out a sob.

"I found out…"

"Tell me."

"I found out that Sasuke loves me…"

Kyuubi grinned sadly as Naruto continued to whisper the truth of his past.

"Sasuke came back because he loves me now. He – he loves me only because I'm in his past. Sasuke loves me because he can't see me in his future."

Naruto couldn't stop talking.

"_Sasuke…_

…_loves me in the same way he used to hate Itachi…_

* * *

Author's Note: If you guys don't leave me a review after this chap, I swear I'm going off on a pissy vacation. Hmph!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you in the next!


	9. Naruto's Decision

**Disclaimer**: Naruto is drawn and written by a fantastically splendid, wonderfully cute, and very talented manga artist Masashi Kishimoto. (Obviously, I don't own it.) On top of that, I don't own the terrific song, Give You Back by Vertical Horizon, which I listened to over and over while writing this fiction.

**In the Previous Chapter:** Regaining the bulk of the memories he has lost from Kyuubi, Naruto's deepest suspicions are confirmed: Uzumaki Naruto was in an unhealthy obsessive love with Uchiha Sasuke. However, Naruto comes to the same conclusion he subconsciously came to that faithful ten years ago – Sasuke loves Naruto as a replacement for Itachi.

**Chapter Nine Rating: **PG-13 (for language and sexual descriptions)

**My E-mail:** rosesareblue at ymail dot com (Write me with any comments or suggestions. Remember, there's nothing like feedback that improves an author's moral/writing and keeps the chapters coming.)

**Give You Back**

_A SasuNaru Fic_

**by rosesareblue**

_I want to give you back _

_I want to give you back _

_Somewhere out of here_

Give You Back by Vertical Horizon

**Chapter Nine: Naruto's Decision**

The children in the playground had noticed the blonde man when he'd first sat down on the dock that ran out into the middle of the lake. They'd unfailingly observed that he was there still – frozen in that one spot – as the daylight fled and it became time for them to return home. Of course, the children recognized who he was; the gilt glow of his blonde hair, the unbearable blue gleam of his eyes, the slick slender frame – he was their hokage-sama. The greatest ninja in the village. All strengths; no weaknesses.

That's why, the children noticed the wetness upon his cheeks but didn't understand what it meant. They pointed him out to their parents, who only saw his red-white robes and didn't notice his red-blank pain. The parents told their children about the greatness of the man before them; how he was the epitome of what a ninja should be and how he had everything a shinobi could desire.

The rains, knowing the truth, must have sympathized with the lonely kitsune because, without warning, they began to plummet from the sky – as if desperately trying to hide the fact that Uzumaki Naruto was actually crying and no one seemed to notice – no one seemed to care.

Naruto looked up into darkening the sky, feeling the raindrops splatter on his face and hearing voices echoing in his head.

"_Who are you? We've met?"_

"_Of course we've met. We've known each other forever usuratonkachi."_

Naruto shivered, hating and loving Sasuke's voice. Sasuke's voice…

"_I want you to be mine, Sasuke."_

"_Because – I can never let you go. I will never let you go."_

Let you go, let you go, let you go…

"_A hokage can marry anyone he wants."_

Had Naruto really been that stupid? That naïve?

"_Jii Jii, Uchiha-san holds me exactly like you do."_

Yes, he'd been naïve because children couldn't see…

"_Hinata-chan, I promise I won't leave you like Sasuke left me."_

He'd been naïve because children couldn't see how the world was restrained by certain rules, certain promises, and certain obsessions…

"_I'm gonna stop you with everything I have!"_

"_What can I do to convince you that you don't matter?"_

Was Sasuke done asking Naruto that painful question? Maybe, it was time Naruto asked and answered for himself; Sasuke needed to do nothing more to convince Naruto. Naruto already knew. Now, Naruto knew.

"_Tell me: Was I in love with you, Uchiha Sasuke?"_

No. Naruto had never been in love with Sasuke. Naruto had been blinded by Sasuke and exhausted by reaching for the unreachable.

"_Why would you come back unless you love me too? Is that the answer, Sasuke?"_

Do you love me, Sasuke? Am I finally worthy enough to replace Itachi in your mind? Is that why you came back?

"_Where are you, Sa-Sasuke? God, Sasuke. Please. Please… I need you, Sasuke. I need you to live, Sasuke, so – this time – you have to come for me… because… I… I don't think I can go to you anymore. I – "_

**I don't want to go to you anymore.**

"_You and I – we are wrong, don't you understand that?"_

"_But then, how come you taste so good? If this is wrong, how come you feel so perfect?"_

Because love always feels perfect when you are mistaken.

"_My mission in life is to stick around and annoy you till the end of my days. Just as long as you pay me back in blow jobs…"_

"_Hey! You taste better during the day!"_

Because happiness is a delusion that keeps you prisoner.

"_I want you to be mine again. My whore. My lover. My whatever – I don't care. I just want you to be mine again."_

Because it was time for his final confession, Naruto lifted his head towards the heavens and whispered into the rain, "Let me wake up from your dream, Sasuke. Let me wake up now."

_"I don't care when. Come back to me, Sasuke."_

* * *

Naruto heard lonely footsteps behind him. Knowing exactly whose they were, he remained calm and collected – totally unmoving in the downpour. The footsteps stopped right behind him – waiting, waiting, waiting.

The kitsune did not budge, did not look.

Finally, the footsteps started again, coming closer – coming faster. With a plop, the owner fell to her knees on the cold, wet deck. The umbrella in her hands fluttered away in the heavy wind, falling into the dark brooding lake. Instantly two arms reached out from the cold world that surrounded Naruto and wrapped themselves around the blonde man's neck.

Hinata wasn't hugging him. She was desperately trying to give Naruto her own body heat.

**In her arms, there was no passion.**

"H-Hinata…" Naruto said quietly.

"Baka Naruto." Hinata breathed into her husband's neck, clutching onto him more tightly. "It's raining… why… I-it's cold…"

"I remember." The blonde man said simply, not turning around to look at his wife. "I remember now."

The dark haired girl stiffened a little at his words, but went on holding him – only listening, only waiting, only dying on the inside – because she'd always known somehow that this moment would come. How else could she have dreaded it?

"Tell me." She urged, softly. "Tell me everything, Naruto."

"I love Sasuke." He whispered. "I… I still love Sasuke."

Hinata closed her eyes and shallowly nodded.

"I know, Naruto."

"I – I – "

Naruto tried to say what he meant – but because words failed him, he finally swiveled around and pulled Hinata's head towards him. Pressing his forehead against hers, he relied on all those difficult years they'd shared. And, just like that, she understood.

**In her arms, there was no pain.**

Hinata, in reply to her husband's final confession, slowly laced her fingers through Naruto's hand resting on his lap. Drawing one of his long fingers into her mouth, the kunoichi bit down on his finger till she tasted the metallic flavor of blood on her tongue. Pulling out the sticky finger again, Hinata traced away the residues of blood still clinging to Naruto's finger.

Rubbing the crimson blood between her fingertips, Hinata slowly rolled her hands into a fist. Like Naruto had done for her during the chuunin exams. Like a promise between two people speaking the same silent tongue.

And the unspoken words echoed between them, saying, Naruto had lost and Hinata was taking over his fight. He had lost his ability to choose half-love over happiness and she had donned his responsibility of selecting half-love over selfish denial. Because…

**In Hinata's arms, Naruto was safe.**

The blonde looked at his determined wife and, slowly, smiled.

"Take me home, Hinata-chan. I don't want to try anymore. I... I want to end this."

"_Yes. I will protect you, Naruto-kun._"

* * *

Gaara stared at the note in his hands from the hokage, trying to decipher its hidden meanings – if there were hidden meanings in the first place. In Naruto's messy scrawl, the note read:

_Gaara –_

_Full, authorized meeting with highest ranking shinobis and anbu forces._

_Bring Sasuke._

_– Naruto_

What did that mean? What did "bring Sasuke" mean? Gaara licked his thin lips in thoughtful consideration. Obviously, Naruto had come to some sort of decision on his part. Gaara could only think of three possibilities – two of which would lead to worst possible conclusions to this mind-erasing mess and one of which would be something close to that impossible happy ending.

One, Naruto was still naïve about Sasuke and actually thought that if he avoided his past with Sasuke or acted cheerfully around the raven-haired shinobi, it would be as if everything had never been. That everyone would move on. This outcome would just lead to repetitions of all the pain so far – would lead to everyone wallowing in self-hating regrets and wispy half-thoughts of 'had I done right?' There would be no progress.

Two, Naruto had somehow regained his memories and had chosen the Uchiha again. In which case, two ninjas would be warring all of Konoha and having to live out the rest of their lives as players of the meanest love tragedy. Naruto would die in Sasuke's love and Sasuke would smother in Naruto's arms – their love for each other was that dangerously suffocating. That obsessively exclusive. There was no other way in that outcome.

And – did Gaara even dare to entertain this possibility? – three, Naruto had somehow regained his memories and had managed to keep himself glued together. Naruto could finally see everything at stake – Konoha, Hinata, Amoto, Sakura… Sasuke. And, Naruto could act on it with his complete thoughts – with his whole mind. Naruto would once again be Uzumaki Naruto again – would be the god that had made Gaara himself live again.

"What are you looking at?"

Gaara snapped his head up to see a wet haired Sasuke step into the room. Damn, he would have to get used to having a counsel who could match him in stealth and other martial techniques… or else poor Sand would have one nerve-wrecked kazekage by the end of this godforsaken situation.

Keeping his kazekage air of impenetrability intact, Gaara said coolly, "Out in the rain, were you?"

Sasuke shrugged, his eyes flashing red then back again, "Felt like being in the cold. Getting wet. Na – " The raven-haired man coughed, turning to look out the window at the downpour. "_He_ used to walk out in the rain when he wanted to think about, ah, about us."

The redhead snorted, sounding more degrading than he'd meant, "Didn't know you were the type to be so sentimental, Uchiha Sasuke."

The Uchiha heir sighed, leaning his head against the cool pane of glass, "I'm losing him all over again. I can tell." The red eyes appeared again and, this time, lingered. "I'm messing everything up for the millionth time and, now, Naruto has that bitch's arms to cry in. He doesn't have to walk alone in the rain."

Sasuke licked his lips, closing his eyes.

"Pretty soon, all I'll have left is the excuse to be sentimental."

Gaara hissed, "Maybe not. The hokage wants to see us – you. He's invited us to a formal meeting with Konoha's highest counsels."

"I'll really fit in." Sasuke scoffed. "Konoha's number one missing nin at the hokage's official dinner party."

"So you won't go?" Gaara pressed, lightly sadistic.

"Of course I'll go." The answer was instantaneous, angry. "If Naruto wants me there, I'll go anywhere."

* * *

Even though Gaara wore his steely, stubborn expression, daring anyone to challenge his kazekage authority, and even though Sasuke wore his thick robes and restrained his chakra as much as he could, the moment the two stalked into the hokage's oval office – the entire presiding came to an halt. The redhead tensed slightly – not enough to show it of course, but enough that it mattered – when he noticed that Tsunade had gotten up from her seat – as if she'd storm out of the room in protest. By the urgent whisperings of everyone present, many seemed as if they'd follow her example.

Sasuke, however, only noticed that Naruto himself was still not present and sulked accordingly.

Two things happened then that deterred that inevitable catastrophe that would follow an oddity like a missing-nin daring in on the hokage's most private parlor:

One, the captains of each anbu team stood there ground, setting an example for everyone else. Though they kept their masks firmly on their faces, Gaara knew that behind the distorted faces of foxes, raccoons, and hawks were the faces of those that had Sasuke stayed in Konoha, he might have learned to call his friends: Hyuuga Neji, Rock Lee, Nara Shikamaru, Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Chouji… the highest ranking ninjas of Konoha. And, it was like they had waited the Uchiha's return. As if they had foreseen this apocalypse. As if they had always known and believed in its inevitability.

Two, just then, the doors of the hokage's office creaked open and a beautiful boy child entered – brining in with him accented rings of '-dattebayo!' The messy blue-black hair framed his ivory-white face in childish glory, the impossibly blue eyes bright with excitement, a familiar feral grin playing on smooth pink lips… Uzumaki Amoto barded into the office, crying jubilantly, "Oh boy, oh boy! My first anbu meeting! Wait till the guys at the academy hear about this, they – "

Amoto froze, looking up and seeing that the entire office full of towering shinobis were staring at him. Cackling sheepishly, Amoto made to close the doors again when – his wide, cerulean eyes locked onto those burning red ones of a raven-haired man. Instantly, the child was throwing the doors open again and running – darting between all those dangerous ninjas to make his way towards the one Uchiha Sasuke.

"Ano saa, ano saa." Amoto drawled in a booming whisper. "You're Uchiha-san, huh? You know my father – right?"

And Sasuke – taken aback by the warm familiarity in the child's eyes – had just started to incline his head in a confused nod when, suddenly, Amoto's thin arms were shooting up to encircle his neck.

"Thank you for saving me in the woods the other day!" Amoto bubbled, glowing in his silly carefree grin. "If you hadn't found me I might never have gone home! I might not even have any ankles for cripe's sakes!"

If Sasuke was shocked, Tsunade was so surprised that she fell with a crash back in her seat at that. Amoto, not realizing that everyone in the office was hanging onto his every word, went on cheerfully.

"On top of that, I can tell you're SUPER strong, Uchiha-san! Maybe even stronger than jii jii, which – in case you don't know – is really saying something! So I was thinking…"

Here, Amoto – who still hadn't let go of Sasuke's neck – drew himself up so that his lips were brushing the much bigger man's ear and hissed confidentially, "Maybe you can stay with me, huh? Stay and help me train to beat jii jii? I'm gonna be the greatest hokage ever, see, cos that's my nindo – dattebayo!"

That last remark was too much – meant too much – and Sasuke – out of fear more than either malice or intention – pushed the child off him with terrible strength. Amoto crashed down onto the floor, yelping painfully as chips of tiles scattered. In seconds, everyone present was on there feet – turning towards the slightly shaking Uchiha.

_I never go back on my promises. Cos that's my ninja way._

Naruto, gods… Naruto.

_Sasuke! I'll never…_

Just then, the office doors clattered open and Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata pushed into the room. On seeing her fallen son, Hinata was immediately at Amoto's side – scooping the whimpering boy up in her arms and cooing soothing words into his trembling ear. Naruto – slightly pale – surveyed the room with the same painfully blue eyes and asked – very slowly, very, very angrily–

"What's going on, Sasuke?"

* * *

Again, please leave a comment. Maybe some of you can tell me where all this is leading… (Those who can, please, have the heart to tell me about it so I can figure it out too. Lol.)


	10. Give You Back

**Disclaimer**: Naruto is drawn and written by a fantastically splendid, wonderfully cute, and very talented manga artist Masashi Kishimoto. (Obviously, I don't own it.) On top of that, I don't own the terrific song, Give You Back by Vertical Horizon, which I listened to over and over while writing this fiction.

**Author's Warning: I'm so sorry that this is just one scene. I didn't realize you weren't allowed to address your reviewers using one of your chapters, so I hastily made this filler. I apologize for this short add-on clip, but do hope it will contribute to clearing up some confusion many of you were having about what Naruto meant in chapter nine. I'm working on chapter eleven and, trying too hard to make it not sappy, it's turning quite bloody. So, er, I'm working on that now… Anyway, I'll try to come back to this story soon with a much, much longer chapter. Till then, ja!**

**In the Previous Chapter:** After regaining his memories, Naruto realizes that, though he still loves Sasuke, he can only be safe and happy at Hinata's side. The couple come to a decision and call a meeting – including the Uchiha – when Sasuke unintentionally injures Amoto.

**Chapter Ten Rating: **R (for language and sexual descriptions)

**My E-mail:** rosesareblue at ymail dot com (Write me with any comments or suggestions. Remember, there's nothing like feedback that improves an author's moral/writing and keeps the chapters coming.)

**Give You Back**

_A SasuNaru Fic_

**by rosesareblue**

_I want to give you_

_I want to give you_

_I want to give you back_

Give You Back by Vertical Horizon

**Chapter Ten: I Want to Give You Back**

"What's going on Sasuke?"

Naruto asked again, his voice dropping into an even colder whisper when the raven-haired man refused to answer.

"Naru… I…"

Sasuke trailed off in unmitigated shock, realizing that Naruto was glaring at him with the same blank – same empty eyes – that denied his very existence. Just like the first time when they'd met again after their long ten year separation – as if Naruto had erased even the few memories the two had made since Sasuke's return.

_As if Naruto's head could no longer be filled with Sasuke at all…_

At the raven-haired shinobi's prolonged silence, the hokage felt his restraint break. Naruto roared, "Amoto's not me, Sasuke baka! Don't take it out on him when it's me that's gonna refuse your – "

"Naruto-kun!"

Hinata's voice rose over Naruto's yelling and the blonde man instantly stiffened.

"Naruto-kun." Hinata said slowly, hugging Amoto close and darting a fearful glance between the two tall shinobi. "It was an accident. Only an accident. Please, don't get angry – please?"

Naruto flinched and, after repentantly licking his lips, nodded awkwardly.

At that, Sakura, who'd been watching the whole event unfold with stunned horror, snapped back to her senses and hurried to fill in the uncomfortable silence, "Baka Naruto. T-talk about keeping the h-hokage image, huh? Getting bawled out by your wife in front of your anbu…"

Though the coerced comment from the pink-haired woman didn't exactly get a hooting reception, the tension in the room seemed to leak away slightly – especially when Tsunade, realizing with ill satisfaction that Sasuke was no longer a threat, chuckled humorlessly and Gaara, realizing from this scene that Naruto knew, nodded his approval.

Amoto, snug in his mother's arms, wiggled impatiently and cried, "Mou – ! I'm not that weak! C'mon, Uchiha-san! Do that again, huh! I can take ya! Kaa-san, finally someone takes me seriously and you have to baby me in front of the entire anbu – how am I suppose ta become hokage!"

The small child's retort was met with laughter – a relieved sort of laughter that escapes the throat when an expected catastrophe passes stillborn.

The only ninjas in the room unhappy at this crucial moment was one Uzumaki Naruto and one Uchiha Sasuke: The blonde was purposefully avoiding the raven-haired man's stare, leaning his weight on Hinata's smaller frame as if he'd returned home from a final battle. His shoulders were lax and he was dead on his feet – uncharacteristically clinging to his wife – who was squaring her shoulders to support his weight.

As for the Uchiha – he was hating the way Hinata was smiling at him. That sympathetic smile summarized everything and pre-told Naruto's decision, especially painted on Hinata's ethereal features. She was _sorry_ for him – Hinata had enough leisure to be sorry for Sasuke, now.

Because she knew as well as Sasuke did that Naruto would no longer leave her.

**In Sasuke's crimson eyes, Hinata was smiling because she had won.**

_TBC_

* * *

**Author's Note: **For those fans who haven't seen this yet, here's something else.

There's been a lot of people saying, "Sasuke should elope/marry-after-killing-Hinata Naruto and raise Amoto!" or "I really like Naruto's son – he's so cute" or "I wish I could see what this Amoto kid looked like, huh?" Since it be the case that our little Amoto-chan is a little bit popular between my beloved reviewers, I labored over a piece of fan art to dedicate to my most beloved fans who've reviewed sincerely and diligently – because, after all, depending on who's asking, I can turn a KakaObi into a ItaNaru… (Trust me, I've done it before.)

Now, please remember, I'm a fanfic WRITER and not a doujin ARTIST so this may kinda suck...

But, again, this is in the name of love for those who are the reason Give You Back is still in progress so… blush, blush…

Here's the link:

i34(dot)photobucket(dot)com(slash)albums(slash)d108(slash)Gwichandanika(slash)amoto-0(dot)jpg

Replace all the (dot) with . and all the (slash) with /. Again, I'm sorry it's so inconvenient – this site is so strict about providing links!

As always, much SasuNaru hearts,

**Rosesareblue. **


	11. Are You Sasuke

**Disclaimer**: Naruto is drawn and written by a fantastically splendid, wonderfully cute, and very talented manga artist Masashi Kishimoto. (Obviously, I don't own it.) On top of that, I don't own the terrific songs, Give You Back by Vertical Horizon and Missing by Evanescence, which I listened to over and over while writing this fiction.

**In the Previous Chapter:** Though the Forbidden Curse has been lifted with Kyuubi's help, Naruto rejects Sasuke and chooses instead to lead his life with Hinata. At an anbu meeting – in which both Gaara and Sasuke are invited – the Hyuuga queen has enough leisure to pity the fallen Uchiha…

**Chapter Ten Rating: **PG13 (for language and sexual descriptions)

**My E-mail:** rosesareblue at ymail dot com (Write me with any comments or suggestions. Remember, there's nothing like feedback that improves an author's moral/writing and keeps the chapters coming.)

**Shameless Advertising**: Check out my newest fanfic Dead Last! Double points if you leave a review!! Please tell me what you think about the take.

**Give You Back**

_A SasuNaru Fic_

**by rosesareblue**

_Please, please forgive me_

_But I won't be home again_

Missing by Evanescence (New Arc, New Theme Song!)

**Chapter Eleven: Are You Sasuke**

"What's going on Sasuke?"

Naruto asked again, his voice dropping into an even colder whisper when the raven-haired man refused to answer.

"Naru… I…"

Sasuke trailed off in unmitigated shock, realizing that Naruto was glaring at him with the same blank – same empty eyes – that denied his very existence. Just like the first time when they'd met again after their long ten year separation – as if Naruto had erased even the few memories the two had made since Sasuke's return.

_As if Naruto's head could no longer be filled with Sasuke at all._

At the raven-haired shinobi's prolonged silence, the hokage felt his restraint break. Naruto roared, "Amoto's not me, baka! Don't take it out on him when it's me that's gonna refuse your – "

"Naruto-kun!"

Hinata's voice rose over Naruto's yelling and the blonde man instantly stiffened.

"Naruto-kun." Hinata said slowly, hugging Amoto close and darting a fearful glance between the two tall shinobi. "It was an accident. Only an accident. Please, don't get angry – please?"

Naruto flinched and, after repentantly licking his lips, nodded awkwardly.

At that, Sakura, who'd been watching the whole event unfold with stunned horror, snapped to her senses and hurried to fill in the uncomfortable silence, "B-baka Naruto. T-talk about keeping the h-hokage image, huh? Getting bawled out by your wife in front of your anbu."

Though the coerced comment from the pink-haired woman didn't exactly get a hooting reception, the tension in the room seemed to leak away slightly – especially when Tsunade, realizing with ill satisfaction that Sasuke was no longer a threat, chuckled humorlessly and Gaara, realizing from this scene that Naruto knew, nodded his approval.

But Amoto, snug in his mother's arms, wiggled impatiently and cried, "Mou – ! I'm not that weak! C'mon, Uchiha-san! Do that again?! I can take ya! Kaa-san, finally someone takes me seriously and you have to baby me in front of the entire anbu – how am I suppose ta become hokage?!"

The small child's retort was met with laughter – a relieved sort of laughter that escapes the throat when an expected catastrophe passes stillborn.

The only ninjas in the room unhappy at this crucial moment was one Uzumaki Naruto and one Uchiha Sasuke: The blonde was purposefully avoiding the raven-haired man's stare, leaning his weight on Hinata's smaller frame as if he'd returned home from a final battle. His shoulders were lax and he was dead on his feet – uncharacteristically clinging to his wife – who was squaring her shoulders to support his weight.

As for the Uchiha – he was hating the way Hinata was smiling at him. That sympathetic smile summarized everything and pre-told Naruto's decision, especially painted on Hinata's ethereal features. She was _sorry_ for him – Hinata had enough leisure to be sorry for Sasuke now. Because she knew as well as Sasuke did that Naruto would no longer leave her.

In Sasuke's crimson eyes, Hinata was smiling because she had won.

Unmitigated anger exploded in his chest and the Uchiha furiously whirled around – storming out of the room and leaving two pushed-aside ninjas wincing in his wake. Naruto let out a heavy sigh – half pained, half relieved – and raised a handsome eyebrow at his wife. Hinata nodded quickly and, carefully folding a protesting Amoto into Tsunade's arms, was about to rush after the angry shinobi when –

"Kaa-san!" Amoto shrilled, grabbing his mother's sleeve in a grownup desperation. "Kaa-san, wait. I have something to – wait!"

And the rest of the little boy's plea was whispered into Hinata and Tsunade's surprised confidence. Naruto looked on at the bent head of his pretty wife and the raised one of his pretty son – telling himself over and over that he was right in his ultimate choice…

…with all the determination of one who isn't sure what to believe.

* * *

"Sasuke!"

The Uchiha kept walking, though he distinctly heard Hinata's voice calling him. All he could think was 'Why isn't Naruto the one chasing after me?' But, that was a foolish question. A painful question. He wouldn't ask questions anymore.

"Sasuke! Please wait!"

Without turning around, Sasuke stopped short. Hinata, who had till then been eagerly chasing him, stopped abruptly too – biting her lip expectedly. Quietly, the raven-haired shinobi spoke. He was more tired than anything else. "How did you convince him, Hinata?"

There was no need to ask who 'he' was – or what Sasuke meant by 'convince'. Of course, the Uchiha was talking about Naruto's love. And, for once, it was Hinata who held the answer to its whereabouts.

The small woman smiled apologetically. "I only have a fortune cookie answer, Sasuke."

"Are you mocking me?" Sasuke hissed.

"When you love someone, you let him go."

"I could kill you – "

"If he comes back, that means he loves – "

"Naruto doesn't love you!"

"On the bridge, I let him go and…" Hinata raised her head defiantly and said with no little determination. "And he came back on his own."

Sasuke curtly shook his head, scowling. "He would never do that."

Hinata shook her head back. "He said he wants me to win, Sasuke. Naruto chose me over you."

Only at that, did the Uchiha turn to face Hinata. And she saw how his gorgeous face was hideous with anger; his eyes were alight with the trademark hellish glow. After all, he was from a bloodline of killers and he had the best reason, now, to kill. There she stood – Hyuuga Hinata. Framed by the great archway of the entrance into the hokage's building, belonging there. The wind blowing out her silky black hair so that it flew around her white body – a body that was so used to being embraced by a certain blonde. Looking beautiful, strong, and perfect – the goddess to Naruto's god.

And the Uchiha loathed her so much.

His hands were performing a dangerous seal before he knew it. Only at the tinkling sound of Hinata's laughter did he realize – and stop short in confused indignation. She was grinning at him in bemusement, folding her arms in front of her.

"Are you going to kill me?" She teased in that annoyingly soft and sympathetic voice of hers. "Are you really? Because that won't change anything – that won't make Naruto-kun yours."

Sasuke scowled again. "At least it'll shut you up."

"You can't touch me." Hinata whispered – half-kidding, half-challenging. "You can't touch me when I have his child in my belly."

Of course, Sasuke knew that. He just wished he could kill her. He wished he could forget for one damn minute and kill her.

"So whether or not you want to, Sasuke, you have to listen to me. Listen!" Hinata insisted, hurrying out. "I – out of anyone else – can understand your pain. Because I know what it's like to have Naruto and I know what it is like to cling to his love."

"What do you want to say, wench?" Sasuke averted his gaze. "I don't have the patience to listen to your lectures."

"Stay here." Hinata stated simply, waiting to meet Sasuke's red eyes before repeating, "Stay in Konoha."

"Naruto doesn't want me to." Sasuke snapped, ashamed only after the embarrassing words have been said.

Hinata didn't attempt to alleviate his shame. "I know. But, I want you to – I'm sorry for all that's happened. It's the only condolence I can provide."

Sasuke would have snorted if he had been anyone but. "Your apology means nothing to me."

"And Amoto wants you to as well." Hinata added sincerely. "Naruto's son wants you to."

At that, the raven-haired shinobi's eyes twitched in surprise – before he summoned the impenetrable mask again. "I don't care for your brat anymore than I do for you."

Hinata would have smirked if she had been anyone but. "You can tell him yourself then. Because Amoto wants you to meet him at sundown at your secret place – wherever that is."

"What makes you think I won't kill him?" Sasuke challenged.

Only for a moment did Hinata's white eyes flash with a mother's rage – before she pulled herself together again. She whispered, "Because you want to let my little boy comfort you, don't you? With Naruto's voice and Naruto's gaze, you want to let my Amoto comfort you when Naruto won't."

When Sasuke wouldn't answer, Hinata taunted (rather uncharacteristically because she couldn't help knowing that some_one_ had to say this one honesty).

"Because I hope you've learned by now not to take such pure love for granted, you bastard. Don't be daft and hurt my boy like you did my husband, alright?"

* * *

The child hadn't changed – he was absolutely stunning.

He sat, slouching against the fattest tree – self-conscious but trying too hard not to show it. His glossy blue-black hair was even messier than this morning, stray strands tangled with leaves and twigs. His ivory-white face was smeared with dirt, but his electric blue eyes were brighter than ever. Impossibly gorgeously blue, even after all that training – all that useless, hopeful training…

The silent watcher took in every endearing detail, as he had been doing for the past two hours or so, and allowed it to do what he'd sworn he wouldn't let it – heal him. The smooth white neck, the stubborn boyish chin, the thin athletic body, the nervous half-pout, the stupid way the boy challenged the world with Naruto's eyes filled with hurt, filled with want… This boy was Naruto's ultimate betrayal. And, at the same time, this boy was Naruto's form in its past perfection. Everything about him made certainty possible.

So, Sasuke found himself leaping out of the trees into his past training ground and walking towards a waiting Amoto. Seeing him, the Uzumaki cocky grin emerged on Amoto's pink lips and a thunderous "Gee! What took you so long Uchiha-san?! I was waiting forever!" rang throughout the clearing. The raven haired shinobi checked his smile and forced his scowl.

"What do you want, brat? If you have nothing of value to say, I will kill you."

Even Naruto's son had to pause – it was said in that sort of nonchalant voice. As if death didn't matter. Didn't matter at all.

But finally, "Isn't it obvious what I want?"

"I have no patience to play guessing games." Sasuke raised his eyebrows contemptuously – forcing hate for the beautiful brunette. "Brat, you are sorely mistaken if you think me as your baby-sitter."

Amoto shook his head and declared, eagerly. "I want to be on your side!"

"…"

"Didya hear me? I want to be on your – "

In the next blink of an eye, Amoto had been thrown back against the tree he'd previously been sitting against – aching and blinking up into the crimson of the dark shinobi's eyes.

"Did you plan this out with your wench of a mother to make a fool out of me? If you'd known of the Uchiha clan, brat, you'd have never presumed to think that I'd delight in a child's game of charity!" The Uchiha hissed, raising his arms.

"No, no!" Amoto shrilled out – half-scared, half-stubborn. "I want to help because – you're Sasuke! You are Sasuke, right?!"

And before Sasuke could strike or embrace the kid – whatever he'd been planning to do with his lifted hands – he was looking into a frame the little boy had thrust out at him. Behind the cracked glass and faded wood, four ninjas looked out at him. Team Seven. An old, old picture of once-upon-a-time.

"Kakashi sensei gave it to me on my last birthday." The child hurried out. "He's there, the silver-haired kinky-looking old guy in the back. And that really pretty girl is Sakura baa-chan. Blows your mind away, huh? She's getting wrinkly now… Oh, and the dorky looking one's my dad. But, what's real important is that other boy – Kakashi sensei tells me he's name is Sasuke."

Sasuke, startled by the very unexpected trinket from the past, had some difficulty remaining aloof. "W-what does this have – "

"I'm not done talking!" Amoto said bossily, delighting in his authority on an important matter and totally forgetting the threatening push. Dusting himself off, he got to his feet and grinned up at the Uchiha. "You are right, Uchiha-san. I don't know much 'bout whatever clan you're from – never even heard of it, actually. Is it important like mine because Neji ji-chan, who knows everything, says that the Hyuuga clan is the very best in Ko – "

Amoto stopped talking when he saw the crimson flickering again in the older man's eyes. Coughing, the child inelegantly changed the topic.

"Anyway, I know a lot about Sasukes. For example, I know this story Shikamaru ji-chan tells me often. Do you know who I'm talking about? Shikamaru ji-chan's this big deal VIP but he's real, reaaaaaal lazy. His daughter is really my type though… Er, anyway, when I was born, supposedly my dad was SUPER happy. Shikamaru ji-chan said that he was totally speechless – which, for my pops, is a HUGE deal. My dad held me awhile, all precious like, and said to kaa-san and Tsunade baa-chan and Sakura baa-chan that he wanted to name me Sasuke."

Here, Amoto wrinkled his nose – not noticing Sasuke's blink of surprise.

"For some reason though, everybody seems to hate that name – no offense. On his part, Jii-jii didn't have any real reasons for wanting only that name either. Shikamaru ji-chan said, though, once before ji-ji had told him that he thought Sasuke was a fitting name for the most precious person."

Again, Amoto darted a quick look up at the Uchiha's face. Mistaking the stoic mask of shock for disinterest, the little boy hurriedly went on.

"And, and! Kiba ji-chan? He's a famous captain of the anbu, in case you don't know. Anyway, I overheard Kiba ji-chan tell Akamaru on his way back from a mission: 'Sasuke's the true reason Naruto's so fixated about catching missing nins – whether or not he knows it.' I tried to ask ji-chan about it, but he wouldn't tell me more."

Sasuke let Amoto pull excitedly on his arm as the child quipped out the last bit of his story because the kid helped the raven-haired shinobi ignore all the strange emotions knotting in his chest yet again.

"Not only that, jii-jii – jii-jii calls me Sasuke a lot. Maybe he's just sore he didn't get to name me that after all, but... well, sometimes when we train in the moonlight, he says in a teasing voice, 'Sasuke, pick up your pace.' Or, sometimes when we are sharing a bento on the roof of his office, he says in a whiny voice, 'Sasuke, are you really going to have all of that shrimp.' And, all the time when he tucks me into bad, he says in his sincerest voice, 'Sweet dreams, Sasuke.' "

Quiet. Sasuke didn't flinch. And Amoto, Amoto nervously licked his lips before continuing, "So, what I wanna know is…"

The small child fingered the picture frame, now lax in the Uchiha's hand, and pointed to the cocky dark-haired boy within.

"Am I my father's Sasuke – or is he?"

"…"

"Are you the man I am named after?"

* * *

**Please review!** (Man, I need lots of encouraging on this one. It's getting harder and harder to write… Fighto!)


	12. Missing

**Disclaimer**: Naruto is drawn and written by a fantastically splendid, wonderfully cute, and very talented manga artist Masashi Kishimoto. (Obviously, I don't own it.) On top of that, I don't own the terrific songs, Give You Back by Vertical Horizon and Missing by Evanescence, which I listened to over and over while writing this fiction.

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the long wait, gang. School and fangirling are not a delectable mix. Make sure you stay tuned for the next update – Dead Last!

Now, let me see if I can clear up a point that a veteran reviewer, Chonki, brought up and I think some others of you were having: Does Naruto remember his relationship with Sasuke from ten years ago? The answer to this question is, safely, yes. How much does he remember? Pretty much everything. This happened back in "He Who Covets the Past" when Kyuubi took Naruto on a (perverted) tour through his lost memories. From it, Naruto deduced that Sasuke wanted him to fill the functional gap of Itachi and decided that, instead of trying for Sasuke, he wants to stick with Hinata, who has loved him for a looong time and with the same intensity he loved Sasuke, and Amoto, who is a guiltless child. Hope this helps - onward with the story!

**In the Previous Chapter:** Learning that Naruto has chosen his family over him, Sasuke plans to leave Konoha forever – till Naruto's son brings a thin shred of hope…

**Chapter Twelve Rating: **PG-13 (for language and sexual descriptions)

**My E-mail:** rosesareblue at ymail dot com (Write me with any comments or suggestions. Remember, there's nothing like feedback that improves an author's moral/writing and keeps the chapters coming.)

**Shameless Advertising**: Check out my newest fanfic Dead Last! Double points if you leave a review!! Please tell me what you think about this latest take.

**Give You Back**

_A SasuNaru Fic_

**by rosesareblue**

_You won't cry for my absence, I know_

_You forgot me long ago._

Missing by Evanescence

**Chapter Twelve: Missing**

Sasuke opened his eyes to a new day and, just like that, he knew he was going to hate it, this new day. In a vague corner of his mind, he knew that he was probably suffering from acute depression – but, hey, what else was new? The raven-haired shinobi didn't bother pulling on a robe to cover his naked torso and walked to the window. And outside, there it lay. Seemingly innocuous. Peaceful in the morning light. Konoha. And looming over all that, the Hokage tower. Maybe Naruto was back from his mission and there now, this early in the morning, thinking about everything else but Sasuke.

If someone asked Sasuke now "Do you love Naruto?", Sasuke wouldn't even answer. What a waste of breath, saying the obvious. But if that busybody someone were to ask, "Do you appreciate Naruto?", Sasuke would have to give a grudging nod. It had been nearly half a year now since Sasuke's return to Konoha, and even he couldn't help being bothered by the sideways glances, the just barely audible whispers, and the curt attitudes of the villagers. They hated his very being from the depth of their hearts and he, a man of twenty-eight, struggled with the burdensome weight of being the cursed blood of the Uchiha everywhere he went. His family name, his very birth, had become a sin. How Naruto had suffered it for nearly twenty years since such a young age, Sasuke did not know – but, he had to appreciate it. Endurance. Strength. Hope. Whatever it was, Sasuke knew better now to appreciate Naruto for it.

Not that Naruto cared, of course, what Sasuke thought anymore. In the last five months, Sasuke had barely seen a glimpse of the bright blond head or the shocking blue eyes. Naruto was clearly avoiding the raven-haired shinobi. Any kind of interaction Sasuke might have had with the rokudaime, Hinata took care of instead. Perhaps, Sasuke mused bitterly, it was the wife of the Hokage's job to attend to the "charity work". Though, even Hinata had stopped pestering him in the last months of her pregnancy…

Just then, near-invisible wires suddenly snapped open the latch of his window. In a matter of seconds, the glass was shoved up and a dark whirlwind flew in – latching itself onto Sasuke's bare neck.

"MuHAHAHAHAHA!!" Laughed Uzumaki Amoto, wrapping his slender legs around Sasuke's bare shoulders. "You are so floored, Uchiha-san! Cry uncle to my superior ninja force!"

As the fake Sasuke on the floor burst into a cloud of smoke and turned into a log, the real Sasuke – now already dressed in his usual blue – went on with pouring himself a cup of coffee. "What ninja force, brat?"

"Nandattebayo!" Amoto exclaimed, untangling himself from the block of wood and jumping to his feet. Running a hand thorough his dark hair, the boy groaned, "And I was so sure I had you this time… Oooh, oooh! Give me some coffee too, Uchiha-san!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and poured a second cup, whipping out containers of sugar and cream. The answer to why he had those sickeningly sweet items in his kitchen and why he was still in Konoha sat in the form of a little kid sitting at his dining table and swinging his thin legs back and forth in barely contained excitement.

"Today's really sunny – huh, huh? I knew from the moment I opened my eyes that it was going to be the best day for training!" Amoto chirped, his heavenly blue eyes shining. He took a sip of black coffee, gagged, and started pouring in the sugar and cream like Sasuke had expected. "Don't you think so too, Uchiha-san? Or should I say, Uchiha senseehh??"

Sasuke took a calm sip of coffee, shrugging a shoulder, "You better not lag behind."

"Lag?! Ha! Not with all the new ultra-cool moves you taught me. I will nail all the targets in the blink of an eye while you are too busy being impressed to move." Amoto snorted, already his coffee not visible under the mounds of sugar and cream.

That day Uzumaki Amoto had told him about Naruto's nickname for his son, Sasuke had, for reasons he didn't want to admit, let the slender boy lead him back to Konoha. With every accented "-dattebayo!", a flash of gorgeous blue eyes, or a flicker of his boyish grin, the Uchiha had thought – despite Hinata's dirty blood flowing in Amoto's veins – how he wouldn't have minded if this beautiful child had been his namesake. And then Sasuke had inevitably concluded: how could he abandon the rearing of this kid to an usuratonkachi and his bitch wife? This would-have-been-Sasuke's life would then be ruined; Amoto would grow up to be a dobe or a home-wrecker. So for humanitarian causes (never mind the raven-haired shinobi had never believed in them ever before), Sasuke would have to stay and teach the kid to be the most powerful human weapon – Uchiha-style.

And Uzumaki Amoto, who had hated going home ever since he heard about his new would-be brother, had attached himself to Uchiha Sasuke just like that. Not that the Uchiha himself was fond of the little brat but… even the stoic raven-haired shinobi didn't mind how the thin arms clung onto his neck when Sasuke piggy-backed the boy home after a day of training or how those sky blue eyes lit up when Sasuke uttered the words "new fighting technique."

And so nearly half a year passed since the Uchiha inadvertently ended up listening to Hinata's advice and having Amoto heal him. He couldn't help, didn't want to help, the fact that the little boy kept merging with an image of young Naruto in his mind, though with deliberate mistakes. The dark hair and the white skin were wrong, but the blue eyes were the same, flashing with glee, looking everywhere, so happy. And a maudlin part of the Uchiha wanted to keep them that way in a misdirected compensation, a masochistic desire, because Naruto himself would never look at Sasuke with such adoring eyes again.

"So how's your father, brat?" Sasuke said, looking out the window as he asked the same question he did everyday.

"Still off on his mission." Amoto complained. "Is he even allowed to _do_ that?! I mean, he's the _hokage_ for cripe's sakes… Maybe he doesn't want to be home and help with the baby stuff like me – huh, huh?"

Or maybe he _really_ doesn't want to see me, Sasuke thought darkly, so Naruto is off on some dangerous quest sprouting bullshit about teammate love to some undeserving fools like the utter dobe he is.

"Kaa-san said he'd be back today, though." Amoto sipped in pure sugar and sneezed. "Uchiha-san, you didn't give me enough coffee… Anyway, I can always guilt trip him into buying me miso ramen – neh, Uchiha-san, you wanna come too?"

"What?" Sasuke said sharply, glancing up with a look so fierce that Amoto scooted away.

"Gee, don't have any ramen then. More for me." Amoto pouted, clearly put off. "You don't have to be such a grouch."

Shaking his head, the raven-haired man said hesitantly, "Naruto is coming home today?"

"Of course." Amoto smirked, matter-of-factly. "My father _always_ keeps his promises. That's the Uzumaki way of the ninja-dattebayo!"

* * *

The rokudaime was no coward. He had devoted his life to proving that he wasn't. Because, see, a coward says "my hands are tied," "it isn't my fight," or "fate can't be changed" and Uzumaki Naruto was all about rejecting those sorry sentiments…

…till now.

The blond shinobi closed his blue eyes wearily against the pounding in his temple, stretching out on a high tree branch facing the hokage tower in the distance. He was here because he didn't want to go home. No, that wasn't right. He desperately wanted to go home, but couldn't let himself go. Even now, behind his closed eyes, he saw two red pupils, dark raven hair, glossy white skin, the flicker of crimson tongue… Sasuke, Sasuke Sasuke. So Naruto couldn't go home. He couldn't let this vision of Sasuke enter his home with him and perhaps break it apart.

Reasons? So many. Hinata, the mother of his children, the woman who had chased after him as he had chased after Sasuke, the warmth that had kept Naruto alive for ten long years when the cold Uchiha had just not bothered to come back. Amoto, his precious son, his pride and joy, the one who would not be made to lose his family – especially not by Naruto who knew so well the pain of being raised without one. Konoha, his home and roots; the villagers, needing his protection; the hokage office, needing his leadership; Tsunade and Sakura, who cared for him so much that they'd sacrificed their integrity…

And Naruto wasn't seventeen. The counter reason just couldn't be "Because I love Sasuke." It couldn't even be "Because I need Sasuke to be Naruto." Naruto was no longer sacrificing just himself anymore. So many reasons, all of them good, telling him no. Telling him his hands were tied and fate has already been dealt…

Naruto had to be a coward because he couldn't afford Sasuke anymore. Naruto had to be a coward because… he couldn't fight for Sasuke anymore, not by making so many, many sacrifices.

Naruto groaned, leaning against the bark of the tree with a shattering headache. He wished Hinata were here. She would brew him a cup of tea, massage his tired shoulders, ask him to stroke her full belly… but the rokudaime didn't want to go to his beloved wife when all he could do was dizzily think about was one Uchiha Sasuke.

* * *

Amoto raced through the village streets, cheerfully nodding back to all the villagers who gave him a respectful nod. Seeing a cute girl sweeping the front of her shop, the boy did a needless back flip onto a nearby railing and, after flashing her a wink, kept running. Training had been a blast because Uchiha-san was just that cool and eating ramen with his father was going to be fantastic as well because Amoto loved ramen… and his dad some too.

The boy gracefully leapt from the railing as he arrived at the gateway to the sprawling Hyuuga estates – and stopped short, his blue eyes growing huge. Collapsed in front of the shut gates was his unconscious father.

"DAD!!"

Alarmed, Amoto darted forward and was relieved to find that Naruto was breathing heavily. "What are you doing?! You better not be fooling around with me, pops, 'cause I won't fall for – "

One touch and even the child could feel through the generous hokage robes that Naruto was burning up with delirious fever.

"Wait-wait just a second, 'kay?! I'll get kaa-san – she'll know what to do!" Amoto was about to bound through the gates when he felt a firm hand grab his ankles. He leaned down again hesitantly. "D-Dad…?"

Naruto could barely speak through his feverish panting. Creaking open cloudy blue eyes, unfocused and seeing dreams, the blond man shot out his hand. Before Amoto could flinch, Naruto was lightly touching the boy's chin and ghosting over his black hair.

Finally, the rokudaime managed a whispered question: "…Sa…suke?"

A chill shot up Amoto's spine.

"I – I'm here, pops." Amoto whispered finally, tears rising to his eyes for some mysterious reason as his father patted his cheek with burning fingers. "I – Sasuke's here."

At those words, a feather soft smile lighted across Naruto's face before the blond lost complete consciousness. Amoto slowly rose to his feet again, loosening his father's fingers from his ankle. Shaking from want to cry, the boy made his way towards the Hyuuga gates. Yes, his mother would know how to fix his father's fever so that he wouldn't act so strange – calling him by his pet-name at a time like this. Baka father. Yes, his mother would –

Amoto paused at the gates.

Instead of creaking the heavy gates open, the slender boy turned on his heels and went racing down the street towards Uchiha Sasuke's apartment…

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto was in Uchiha Sasuke's bed.

That was all that was filling the raven-haired man's mind as he paced the short hallway before his bedroom door. Ever since Amoto had come bursting into his apartment, bawling about how his father was burning up with fever, Sasuke hadn't been able to think properly. Even with his sharingan, he'd been blinder than his child-guide – it was Amoto who had chided him: "Uchiha-san! Kaa-san's going to freak out if she sees dad like this – so I'm gonna tell her he's off doing hokage work, okay? You make him better and have him come home all cured. Neh, Uchoha-san? Promise me!!" And then, Naruto's son had glared at him with Naruto's peerless blue eyes. Sasuke couldn't even remember if he'd promised Amoto or not…

But Uzumaki Naruto was in Uchiha Sasuke's bed.

The raven haired man covered his head and groaned loudly. Gawd, he was sick! He felt elated – glad even though his love was too sick to move. Because Naruto was sleeping where Sasuke had slept just the other night. Because Naruto was drinking in Sasuke's scents, pressed between Sasuke's blankets and pillows. Because, right now, Naruto was physically closer to Sasuke than Hinata. And, for all these childish reasons, Sasuke was glad.

Maybe for the first time in the long ten year separation and painful reunion, Sasuke felt absolutely glad to be alive.

Naruto's violent coughing jolted Sasuke from his musings. He hurried back into his room, smiling like the madman he was because there was no one around who he had to hide his grin from. His dobe was still sprawled out on his bed – beautiful, beautiful. Naruto's flaxen hair spilled out on the pillows as he twisted and turned - his cheeks flushed red with fever, his wet pink lips parted in a cry of pain, his sun-brown limbs dripping with dewy sweat…

Seconds ticked by as Sasuke, for once, let himself indulge in this guilty pleasure for the briefest moment. Tried to pretend that even this grown-up Naruto was his. Pictured himself there on the bed with the kitsune, his hand on that chest and maybe his lips pressed against that reddened cheek – how Sasuke would drink away Naruto's sickness if only the dobe would also pretend to be his again.

The Uchiha was just about to reach for the wet cloth on Naruto's forehead when the blond man bolted upright in bed, his heavenly blue eyes wide open. And Sasuke knew his short dream had just ended – so abruptly. The Uchiha braced himself for the blond man's rage as Naruto tried to focus his dizzy vision.

"Sa-Sasuke? What…"

"Naruto, I… I - " Sasuke averted his gaze, hurt by the guilty rich blue of Naruto's darkening eyes. "I was just going to take care of you until your fever went down, idiot. Don't freak out. Once you stop being such a fucking wreck, you can prance along to your bitch wife and – "

The Uchiha looked up and, seeing that Naruto's expression hadn't even flickered, smothered his angry outburst with difficulty and turned to go. "I'll get something for that fever – "

And, in that instant, a miracle happened.

Naruto was frantically grabbing Sasuke's arm, crying out, "Don't go, Sasuke! Please don't go."

The Uchiha started in shock. "What?"

The blond shook his head violently, cutting off the rest of the raven-haired man's words. "Why are you always leaving me alone, you jerk! Why don't you ever stay with me? Can't we – can't we be together? Can't we fight Orochimaru and Itachi and everyone else together?" Naruto burst out into broken sobs. "Why – why do you have to go off by yourself? Why won't you ever let me catch up with you? Teme!!"

As Naruto's words washed over him, Sasuke watched the blond man heave with long, long pent up tears and fully understood that it must be the fever talking now. This Naruto was all naked pain – delirious, hurt, exhausted. After a rest, when the real Naruto came to and stopped playing out some long lost memory, he would deny all of this. He would apologize for saying he cared about Sasuke. Most of all, he wouldn't stay for another second…

Sighing, the Uchiha started to get up. "Let me get you some healing potion, Naruto."

"NO!" Frantic arms hugged Sasuke around the waist. "No, Sasuke, don't go. Don't! I don't need anything else – all I need is you to stay here. Please! D-don't you think that way too? Don't you want me too??"

Uchiha Sasuke understood that it was Naruto's fever saying all these perfect words. Sasuke understood that he wanted to believe them only because he'd been so thirsty for them, dreamed of hearing them, for such a long time. Yet, even though he perfectly understood that this wasn't Naruto, Sasuke wanted to pretend just once time. He wanted Naruto. And he would have him one last time.

Sasuke's lips found Naruto's easily. The bed creaked as the raven-haired man eased his weight on top of the sobbing blond. And Naruto's body was heaven, the blond's legs wrapping around Sasuke's waist with his thighs pressed against his side. The softness of his lips, the warmth of his tongue, the sticky hotness of his chest… It was the Uchiha who wanted to cry out in deliria.

_Never let you go… I'll never let you go…_

* * *

A/N: Please leave a review!! Oh, and I'm going to do something very unorthodox (for me, at least): if anyone has any questions about this fic, where it is at now, parts they didn't understand/remember, I'd be happy to do a quick Q and A since I realize it has been a very long time since I updated. And, of course, I'm always just happy to hear from you - even the most outrageous comments/suggestions. I've seriously thought a few times about not updating this fic again, but with everyone cheering me on and seemingly enjoying the story, I felt that it would be too rude to stop. As long as many of you want more, I'll be here. Updating slowly, maybe, but I'll update.


	13. Family Affairs

**Disclaimer:** Naruto is drawn and written by a fantastically splendid, wonderfully cute, and very talented manga artist Masashi Kishimoto. (Obviously, I don't own it.) On top of that, I don't own the terrific songs,_ Give You Back_ by Vertical Horizon and _Missing_ by Evanescence.

**Author's Note:** Hi everyone! At last, here is the long waited chapter thirteen. Hope you like! Many, many thanks to my reviewers for their inspiring encouragements and criticisms: CeruleanCypher, Zoomi, MrsHellman, Belward4ever, Belumah, sunnyboys, The Fatalist, Keritsu, Angel, Zagirya, Evanescent Silence, blugirlami21, osvark, The Stray Hippo, Zed-Azrael, Kia, Cersei, Positively, naruchanny, IntertwinedxDestinies... and the list goes on and on. Please know that I read and adore every review and am very grateful for them!

Some agenda: Please check out my newest one-shot _One-Shot-Naruko_ (yes, big secret: Rosesareblue has a thing for Naruko) and the newest chapter of not only _Dead Last_ but everyone-thought-was-abandoned-but-wasn't-on-reviewers'-insistence – _Ultimate Uke Syndrome_ (omg, for real?).

As for _Give You Back_, there's a fanart done of Sasuke and Amoto by the ever superb deviant artist Yocching. Let's stalk her together, shall we? And leave a nice, hinting comment about how she should draw more stuff? Hmm? Anyway, it's gorgeous. Amoto is gorgeous, Sasuke is gorgeous, the background is gorgeous, the ambiance is gorgeous… and you get it. There's a link on my profile so **check it out!**

**In the Previous Chapter:** Amoto brings his sick father to Sasuke with the order, "Mother will be worried if she sees him like this, so you make him better and have him come home." But Naruto, in a fever induced hallucination, cries out for the Uchiha, who cannot – does not – want to resist…

**Chapter Thirteen Rating:** R (for mature content)

**My E-mail:** rosesareblue at ymail dot com (Write me with any comments or suggestions. Remember, there's nothing like feedback that improves an author's moral/writing and keeps the chapters coming.)

**Give You Back**

_A SasuNaru Fanfiction_

**by rosesareblue**

_I know what you do to yourself,_

_I breathe deep and cry out,_

_Isn't something missing?_

_Isn't someone missing me?_

Missing by Evanescence

**Chapter Thirteen: Family Affairs  
**

The sticky sweet taste of Naruto's neck, his flaxen hair wet with sweat, the slickness of naked shoulder blades, how those toned muscles moved beneath the silky golden-brown skin… and the tight, gripping, maddening heat that Sasuke thrust into again and again on impulse. From somewhere faraway, the blond was crying out – but the Uchiha had stopped listening, afraid that they weren't groans of pleasure but of shrill, pleading, desperate rejection. It didn't matter even if they were. The raven-haired man wouldn't stop – not now, when the kitsune was his to have, this one last time. Not now, when all Sasuke knew – cared to know – was this overwhelming feeling of the blond's ass milking his painfully hard cock.

Naruto arched his back and let out another feral cry. The blond had been reduced to pure, raw desire, twisting his body around for the raven-haired man's benefit, slamming his hip back onto the bigger man's pelvis, yelling out again in pain, pleasure, need, all the while – Sasuke, don't let go, Sasuke, never let me go…

Uchiha Sasuke sat up bolt right in bed, waking up from dreams stuffed with vivid flashbacks of the night before. Trying to preserve the too quickly dissolving images, the raven-haired man closed his eyes and reached absentmindedly for the spot the blond would have been just a few hours before. Much to his surprise, his groping hand hit warm flesh.

"Nandattebayo?" Naruto's voice – cool and distant.

The raven-haired man struggled up on his arms. The kitsune was staring out into the pitch blackness, an almost wry expression etched on his pretty face. At the Uchiha's insistent gaze, the blond spoke without turning to look at him.

"So, we did it, huh? We fucked."

After a long silence, Sasuke muttered in reply, a shaky smirk in his voice, "Are you going to go berserk and run off now, usuratonkachi?"

At that, Naruto turned his heavenly blue eyes on the Uchiha. It was then that the raven-haired man realized, the rokudaime was crying silently. Not sobbing, not so much as an audible sniffle. Just a steady trickle of tears slowly coming down his face. Swiping an arm across his cheeks, the blond shook his head and flashed a crooked grin.

"Nah… I… I don't think I can walk."

With those words, the blond's voice cracked. And, for the first time in their relationship, Sasuke did it. He reached over and hugged Naruto – not out of lust or even possessiveness. A stiff, awkward, comforting gesture. Of course the rokudaime found it strange.

"What are you doing?" He wanted to know, as the Uchiha hesitantly stroked his head.

"Shut up, dobe. And just be comforted already." The raven-haired man muttered.

So the two full grown shinobi knelt on the cramped bed, the bigger embracing the smaller, who started crying in noisy, honest gasps. As if the two were still twelve. As if the two were lovers – or, even, friends.

"Hi-Hinata…" Naruto choked out and continued to speak even when Sasuke flinched at the name. "This isn't the first time I betrayed her, you know that? When I thought of leaving Konoha for a while – to get away from it all. When I saw you in our son. When I – every time I kissed you, whether in reality or the countless times in my mind. I betrayed her all those times."

After a strained silence, the Uchiha whispered to the man in his arms, "Are you angry?"

"At you – no."

"But you are angry."

"Only at me," The blond replied, finding no need to lie or act anymore, "She – she loves me. I understand her better than anyone, because she loves me in the same way I loved you once. I went to her to rest, because I was tired of waiting for you, was angry at myself for only being able to wait. And, Hinata knew all that. She still does. But she let herself be my escape every time."

Naruto looked up, the last of his long pent up tears drying on his cheeks.

"She knows I'm using her. She thinks she wants to be used. Because that's what true love is. Believing in stupid, stupid things."

"Hnn," Sasuke scoffed at that. "You are so noisy, usuratonkachi. Don't I know that? I believe in you, don't I? And you are definitely as dumb as they come."

There was another long silence as the rokudaime processed what the other had said, the important things that'd been thrown about – as if carelessly.

"Are you saying you love me, Sasuke?"

"What else would I be saying, Naruto?"

"But you'll lose." The blond answered, immediately. "To Hinata, you will lose in your love for me. I am – I am not her second choice…"

"What does it matter if you are a replacement?" The raven-haired man snapped. "My obsession with Itachi, my obsession with you – they fill up the same empty part of me and take me over. First choice or second, it doesn't matter. I won't lose. If you give me even half a chance, I won't lose you again, usuratonkachi."

"You are such a selfish, psychotic bastard, Sasuke. As always." The kitsune glared.

The Uchiha held the blond's head in his hands and rubbed away at the trail of tears with his thumbs.

"I love you."

"… all right, teme. All right."

* * *

Amoto looked up at the darkened ceiling of his bedroom, at the hanging ring of paper ninjas that kicked and jumped as the wind from his open window spun it around. Of course he was supposed to be sleeping. Of course he wasn't. Not when he was listening for his dad's return. It'd been two days since he'd last seen his dad – even with the help of Konohamaru ji-chan, it was only for so long you could cover up for the absence of the hokage...

After dinner that night, his mother had been sitting in the living room, stroking her full belly and murmuring absentmindedly, "Your father will be here tonight."

"Maybe not!" Amoto had insisted, pausing in reading the practice scrolls Uchiha-san had given him and bursting out in alarm, "Maybe his work is real busy and – and no one can do the cool fighting stuff that dad can, so he might be held over and, and!"

"No. I can feel it." His mother had said dreamily. "Naruto is coming home today."

The thing was, his mother tended to be right about these things. Though she always moved soundlessly, he'd heard the very faint hum of her voice pass his door. She was awake, too, and waiting for his dad. So Amoto had to make sure he was around just in case… in case of…

The little boy frowned. Well, in case of grown up stuff. It was all really scary. So he would just have to protect his mother from it, if it came to that… whatever it was. His mother might cry. Even his father. Then Amoto would swoop in and be extra brave for everyone because he just so kicked ass like that…

Amoto perked up. He heard the main gates to the mansion creak through the open window. His father was, indeed, home.

After counting to eight hundred and thirty four super fast, the little brunet sprang from his bed and padded stealthily, in the way that Uchiha-san had taught him, down the hall to the lighted room in the front parlor. He hid in the shadows, crouched next to the half-open door, and heard his mother's voice, quiet and gentle and pretty.

"You were sick, Naruto-kun. Even if you don't tell me so, I can see it in your face. It's not your fault if you weren't yourself – "

Then his dad's, tired and apologetic and sad.

"Don't say that. It is my fault, Hinata-chan. I – I called him selfish but, it's actually me that's worse."

"Naruto. Please listen." She pleaded. "I am okay. I may not look it, but I am strong. You taught me how to be. I'll be strong for the both of us so, don't blame yourself so much when there are moments you are weak. Don't force yourself to feel what you don't and not feel what you do. We…"

His mother paused, her voice catching slightly.

"We lived a lie once and we are having trouble waking up from it. That's it. But we have wake up and see the real road before us. And not run away. You told me that, every time I had a nightmare. You were there. So, think of him, face Sasuke properly. If he fails you, I will be here to heal your wounds. If not, I'll try hard to be happy in your happiness. I am not afraid to get hurt. So, please lean on me. Please use me to be selfish. Because that is how I will fill a part of you Sasuke couldn't – and never can. I will… I will accept all your selfishness."

Amoto almost cried out, several times, to interrupt his mother. What the heck was going on? Was his father leaving? Somewhere far away? Because of Uchiha-san? Uchiha-san wouldn't make his father leave, would he? He wasn't that kind of person… was he…?

His dad spoke up then, urgently, "Why… why are you willing to do all that for me, Hinata-chan? I don't deserve it."

His mother laughed, giggled almost.

"Don't be silly! Because I'm your wife. Because I'm your family and so is Amoto and our new son. It's a bond that can't be broken. Not by Sasuke or me or even you, Naruto-kun."

Hearing those words, Naruto jerked his head up and Amoto reeled back at the look in his father's eyes. Without a sound, the little boy sped down the darkened hall – running away from the light.

* * *

A sixteen year old Naruto, his golden locks dripping from the shower and clad in a pair of loose pants, whipped his wet towel against the white neck of a sixteen year old Sasuke, making the raven-haired boy hiss sharply and knock over a jar of ink.

"What the fuck, dobe." The Uchiha growled and flashed a death glare, to which the other was, luckily, immune. "I'm working."

"Whatever." The blond snorted. "It's probably something illegal, anyway."

The smirk was too evident in Sasuke's voice. "As a matter of fact, I'm forging a marriage license. Our marriage license."

The blond stopped madly toweling himself dry and emerged from his messy mane of hair. "WHAT?"

"This next village, we are actually going to hang around for a few weeks to pick up some information and I'm booking us a room as Mr. and Mrs. Tanaka."

The kitsune's groan lasted a full four seconds. "Please tell me you are Mrs. Tanaka."

"Sorry to disappoint, shorty."

"This sucks. This really sucks."

When the brunet didn't bother answering, Naruto communicated his feelings more physically – by whipping with his towel and breaking the more fragile of Sasuke's stuff strewn about the room. The sound of cracking and shattering masked the Uchiha's low chuckling.

In a mid-whip, Naruto suddenly stopped. "Hey, Uchiha?"

"You owe me a tumbler. How am I supposed to brush my teeth?"

"Real ninjas use their hands when they are rinsing their mouth."

"How would you know what real ninjas are like, usuratonkachi?"

"Because Mrs. Tanaka knows all – shut up and listen to me when I'm going to ask you stupid questions."

Finally, Sasuke looked up from his work and shriveled around to face Naruto. "What?"

The blond pursed his lips and, with the faintest of blushes, muttered, "Is there going to be a Tanaka junior?"

The Uchiha choked. "Why are you asking me this?"

The kitsune shrugged a shoulder. "Just wondering what our kids would look like, y'know, if we could have kids."

"Luckily, we can't." Sasuke turned back and glared down at his parchment. "Sexy no jutsu is no good for resurrecting the clan, remember?"

"Stop acting so superior! You didn't know that till I told ya – c'mon, c'mon, humor me. Whacha think they'll be like?"

The brunet didn't take his eyes off his work, but answered just the same, "Well, it'll be a boy for one thing, since I can't stand kunoichi. And with his flawed genes, he'll be loud and obnoxious and ask really dumb questions when other people are busy."

Naruto laughed. "He sounds so cute. But won't Mr. Tanaka be pissed if Tanaka junior isn't like him at all?"

At that, Sasuke flashed him almost a smile. "I hope the brat is as hard to look at as you, dobe. With blonde hair and blue eyes. Now, are you going to put a shirt on or are you waiting for me to rape you?"

* * *

An adult Sasuke sat silently on the rooftop of his apartment, staring at the pearly moon that didn't fail to remind him of his days as a missing nin, after Naruto had left him. He'd gone for days then, not speaking, having no reason to speak. Unaware, un-alive, even, of anything except that desire to kill a certain man. And the nights had been so utterly dark, with only the moon reminding him of that one faithful, bloody moment that had written his fate.

Kill Itachi. Sasuke was alive to kill Itachi.

He had trained mostly at night in those days – killing strong opponents he sought out for the purpose of training and subduing strong memories of "I will never let you go" that oppositely sought him out, despite his best efforts. And then it would be day and Sasuke would hate it because the bright light would show too many things that could be distractions and reminders of other things… of Naruto's image mocking him for not being alive for the very sake of being alive.

So Sasuke would tell himself that he was an avenger and ignore urges to talk, to open his mouth and call out to the rays of light for… for…

The Uchiha closed his eyes against the pearly moon. It didn't matter. None of it. In the end, he hadn't called out and he had indeed killed Itachi. Killed him to realize that his desire didn't fade with the successful completion of this goal and his life – stripped of all those that would be distractions, was also barren of any kind of truth. When that one mission in his life proved to be a total sham, Sasuke really didn't know how to… how to live at all.

At that moment, a kunai came bursting from the darkness – missing the Uchiha's cheek by a breath as he just tilted his head to one side.

"What are you doing up," Sasuke whispered loudly into the night. "Amoto?"

Instead of a reply, a barrage of kunais rained down on the Uchiha – following him as he fluidly evaded them. Knocking the last couple aside with an annoyed flick of his hand, the raven-haired man growled, "I'm not in the mood now to train you, brat."

"I don't ever want to be trained by you again – you liar! You traitor!"

In the shower of moonlight, was the boy. The silver moon in his glowing white skin and silver tears in his glowing blue eyes, Amoto grasped the kunai more tightly and stared at Sasuke with a vehement glare. And, for the first time since he had met the child, Uchiha didn't see Naruto in Amoto and instead…

"I figure it out. Figured it all out. You are only here to steal my dad, aren't you?" The child spat out, gritting his teeth against another wave of tears. "I trusted you and loved you and – and all you want to do is take my most precious people away from me!"

"Listen, brat, you don't understand anything – "

"Shut up, shut up!" The boy screamed, grasping his hands over his ears. "It's you who don't understand! Someone like you without a family, you had nothing in the first place! How the hell would you understand how I feel?"

With that, Amoto tackled the much bigger man head on and the momentum toppled them to the ground. In the split second before Sasuke felt the punch, he saw himself in Naruto's son's blue, blue eyes and felt a flicker of…

Revulsion.

* * *

A/N: I worry interest for this fic has fallen and fans don't care as much anymore. So please review and let me know (in detail if possible) what you thought/felt.


	14. My Father

**Disclaimer:** Naruto is drawn and written by a fantastically splendid, wonderfully cute, and very talented manga artist Masashi Kishimoto. (Obviously, I don't own it.) On top of that, I don't own the terrific songs,_ Give You Back_ by Vertical Horizon and _Missing_ by Evanescence, which inspired this fic.

**Author's Note:** Slow in coming, but the chapters are coming. Please keep a look out for updates to my other fics (Ultimate Uke Syndrome and Dead Last) as well and – again, please do me the kindness of reviewing if you enjoyed reading.

**In the Previous Chapter:** Amoto finds out that Sasuke is the source of trouble between his mother and father. Feeling betrayed, Naruto's son screams at his once beloved Uchiha-san: "Someone like you without a family, you had nothing in the first place! How the hell would you understand how I feel?" And Sasuke, for the first time, sees someone other than Naruto behind Amoto's eyes…

**Chapter Thirteen Rating:** PG-13 (for mature content)

**My E-mail:** rosesareblue at ymail dot com (Write me with any comments or suggestions or questions. Remember, there's nothing like feedback that improves an author's moral/writing and keeps the chapters coming.)

**Give You Back**

_A SasuNaru Fanfiction_

**by rosesareblue**

_I know what you do to yourself_

_I breathe deep and cry out_

_Even though I'm the sacrifice_

_You won't try for me, not now_

Missing by Evanescence

**Chapter Fourteen: My Father**

A bruised and beaten Amoto stood before Sasuke, holding the open wound on his right arm closed with his left hand and gritting his teeth around the kunai his weakened fists couldn't hold for much longer. The Uchiha had to hand it to the runt – not even out of the Academy yet, but he had lasted three hours against a full shinobi of Sasuke's caliber. Of course, the raven-haired man hadn't attacked back at all, merely deflected the blows with minimal harm to the boy. Unfortunately, minimal harm sometimes meant a solid punch or two and so the child's body wasn't holding up – Amoto was just no match. Yet Naruto's son kept coming at him with everything he had, angry, hurt, vengeful…

He was like a ghost from Sasuke's past, an incarnation of his own mistaken childhood since he'd seen his parents murdered, but one that had stolen Naruto's beautiful blue eyes to hide behind.

Amoto took a running leap and came at the much bigger man with the kunai clamped in his bloody mouth. The Uchiha braced himself, but it turned out that didn't have to bother. The boy finally lost consciousness, slipping in mid-dash and falling forward.

Sasuke caught Amoto in his arms before he hit the floor. As the boy's eyes fluttered closed, a single tear escaped and rolled down his white chin. And with his eyes closed, Amoto looked like a seven-year-old Sasuke. One that would do anything to bring back his dead family. The Uchiha's breath caught in his throat.

_What was he doing to this child?_

Scooping Amoto up in his arms, Sasuke soundlessly jumped from the rooftop of his apartment and headed for a certain pink-haired medical nin's apartment.

* * *

"Can I ask what happened, or will you only get mad at me?" Sakura said, gently laying Amoto on her bed and briskly going to work of relaying curative chakra to his thin limbs.

Instead of answering, the Uchiha – who remained perched on her open window without coming into the room – asked, "What kind of boy was he? Amoto as a kid?"

Sakura tucked her hair behind her ear and chuckled. "What do you mean? He's still a kid… oh, you mean when he was littler? Well, he's like Naruto, isn't he? That's what everybody says. Loud, mischievous, sweet. He's exactly like Naruto, but with Hinata's hair and skin…"

The young woman paused then, her hand lingering over a huge gash on Amoto's left knee.

"Although, Amoto's always been a little arrogant in a way Naruto's never been. Maybe it comes with being the only child of a hokage as well as the heir to the Hyuuga clan, but he's hard on himself and others. He wants to be Naruto's equal and a perfect child to his mother. That's quite the burden for a little kid, you know? I guess…" Sakura looked up at Sasuke and smiled wryly. "I guess I never thought about it before, but he's always reminded me of you in that way. Strange, huh?"

"Hnn."

Sakura finished curing all of Amoto's wounds, and went to retrieve a towel to clean him. When she returned, she found that Sasuke had actually come all the way into her room to look over the boy's sleeping face.

"Sakura." Sasuke's voice was unusually soft. "If I stay, will this runt get hurt?"

After a measured silence, Sakura replied, "Even if you leave, Amoto will get hurt. You spent a lot of time with him, for the past six months. You shouldn't make such a habit of disappearing."

"I think the little brat's figured out something about Naruto and me."

Sakura didn't seem too surprised to hear that. "Amoto's clever. I'm sure he's suspected some bond between you two. Don't worry, Sasuke-kun. He just needs to be reassured that that bond won't break up his family."

The Uchiha trained a steady glare on the pink-haired woman. "Of course it'll break up his family. As soon as Naruto dumps his scheming wife, he and I are never coming back to Konoha again."

Sakura didn't even flinch. "You say that, but you can't mean it."

"What do you know about me, Sakura?" he sneered.

"I know you brought Amoto here. I know how gently you touch him, look at him. I've known you a long time, but I've never seen that expression on your face." Sakura paused. "Even you can't hurt him. You wouldn't."

Amoto tossed and turned in his sleep, murmuring, "Uchiha-san…"

"See? I think you've grown on him," Sakura murmured, only to trail off in embarrassment when Naruto's only son clenched his fists and gritted out. "I'll kill you…"

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. "Apparently, he is less like Naruto than everybody thinks."

After a long since, Sakura whispered, "But he… he called for you too."

"Yeah, I heard. The runt wants my blood."

"No, I mean, Naruto." Though the raven-haired man's eyes were now on her, she didn't dare look up. "When he was in the hospital. He called for you every day. And then, even after the forbidden jutsu, Naruto would still sleep with the window wide open as if… as if he was waiting for someone to come. As if he was waiting for you to come."

"And I didn't."

"No," Sakura said, with a curt finality. "I am not proud of what I did, Sasuke-kun, the part I played. I even regretted it a lot, right after. But there's this one memory I always think back to when I'm feeling guilty. Once, one day, when Naruto's body was almost healed of physical wounds, he said, 'Sakura, can you shut that stupid window? Hinata's coming soon and she gets cold easy.' For first time since he came back, since you brought him back to Konoha, he grinned. He got all red and grinned. And I… I cried and cried. Naruto was really confused but, since that day, I haven't regretted the decision I made. Not once. Even knowing you'd come back, I would make it again."

Finally, Sakura looked up at Sasuke.

"I love you. I loved you. I don't know which anymore, but I also know Naruto is the most important person in the world to me. And to this village. If he died, Konoha would fall apart." The pink-haired woman clenched her fists at her side. "We are adults now, Sasuke. Even if I want to deny it, I believe there can be more important things in the world than love."

"You still don't get it: Naruto's the only thing I have left," the Uchiha said, slowly, so slowly. "What are you asking me to give up?"

"Time passed. Windows were closed." Sakura's eyes were bright with tears but there wasn't a tremble in her voice. "I am not asking you to give something up, but accept what you've already given up. Not only for Naruto – for you, Sasuke-kun. Look at yourself! You know it too - nothing that was broken is going to become whole ever again. You chased the past before so you should know that!"

Unbeknownst to the two arguing adult shinobi, though Amoto's eyes remained closed, tears continued to trickle down the sleeping boy's face.

* * *

Iruka spotted Uzumaki Amoto in the training grounds, against the light of dawn, and stopped to watch the boy earnestly punch a scarecrow with his left fist, his right arm held up in a sling. Amoto was a source of personal curiosity for the old teacher – in voice, spirit, and especially mischief, the child could be suspected of being a kid-Naruto's kage bunshin. In terms of academy grades, he was more like a young Uchiha Sasuke or Hyuuga Neji; his top grades somehow seemed to piss him off, making him fight against an invisible enemy with more vindictive force.

But even Amoto wasn't known for coming to practice this early in the morning. Before Iruka could step out to strike up a conversation, three academy ninjas surrounded the younger boy.

"Where's your hot mom, shortie?" the tallest of the boys, apparently the leader, called in a jeering voice. "Why's she not babysitting your ass so we can try to look up her skirt?"

Amoto ignored him, simply punching the scarecrow harder.

"Knock it off," one of the other boys chided his friend. "What if he tattles to his dad and we get Rasengan-ed."

"Idiot, the hokage can't do that to us." The tallest boy crossed his arms. "We should be worried that he'll tattle to that cursed Uchiha freak."

At that, Amoto flinched. The boys, sensing they were finally getting to him, talked in louder voices.

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, why do you hang out with that man anyways? Aren't you afraid he'll rub off on you? Make you sick?"

"His eyes look all gross like blood is coming out of it or something. Say, do you think that's where the curse comes from?"

The leader sneered, "He reeks like the missing nin he is. Why do we keep him in Konoha when he's obviously not even a real ninja – "

In a blink of the eye, Amoto was on the much bigger boy, kicking, punching, clawing. Iruka broke up the fight before it began, but not before the other two boys had left Amoto with a bloody nose.

"It's teacher! Run!"

Iruka didn't even bother chasing them, already having identified the troublemakers. He'd scold them later. As for Amoto…

The pony-tailed man's eyes were gentle but stern. "Why did you start a fight, Amoto? I've seen you in plenty of fights before, but never one you started yourself."

The boy swiped at his nose sullenly, and muttered, "I'm going to take care of Uchiha-san. For my mom and dad, I'm gonna take care of him. No one's allowed to badmouth him but me…"

Iruka raised an eyebrow in surprise, wondering just how much the child knew of his parents' pasts. And who was better off: the child who knew bits and pieces of facts, and had to guess by sensing, or the adult who knew the facts, but needed to make sense of them? The kind teacher sighed, and put a hand on the child's slender, trembling shoulder.

"Let's get you cleaned up."

* * *

Konohamaru popped two aspirins into his mouth and chugged it down with water. Only then was he emotionally prepared to take a peek inside the hokage's chamber. And lo and behold, Naruto was there. Working on paperwork. Like he was supposed to. Konohamaru felt his migraine worsen and make his temples throb as though little demon Narutos wearing leather were beating on them with spiked fists.

Because if his boss was working on paperwork, like he was supposed to, without Konohamaru's begging, something was very very wrong.

Finally, the young ninja couldn't hold it in anymore and nearly kicked down the hokage's door.

"Okay, what is it? Are we declaring war with another village? A plague of locusts? Tsunade-sama got a breast reduction? WHAT WHAT WHAT?"

The handsome blond looked up and, thankfully enough, seemed amused. His amazing blue eyes were twinkling. "What is this about, Konohamaru?"

"WHY ARE YOU BEING DILIGENT? C'MON, IT'S NO USE HIDING IT – WHAT'S WRONG?"

"I thought I'd stay indoors today…" Naruto trailed off when he saw Konohamaru's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Look, I'm going to get offended if you keep this up."

"Are you sick?" the younger ninja demanded, marching over and slapping a hand over his boss's smooth forehead. "You do feel warm. Hey, I have aspirin! A big stash for work!"

When the hokage shook his head and laughed tiredly, Konohamaru got serious.

"If you want, you can talk to me. I know I don't know what the heck is going on, except that the higher ups are being all freaky hush hush, but all the better to talk to me about it, right? And if not, I can send a summons to Gaara-sama, or call for Shikamaru nii-chan? Or, or Hinata-san?"

At his wife's name, Naruto let out a heavy sigh.

"Ne, Konohamaru? What do you do when your wife's perfect?"

The younger ninja made a face. "I'm trying to have a heart-to-heart here and you are bragging about marrying Konoha's number one babe? SO YOUR WIFE'S CHEST IS SUPER BIG – DEAL."

Naruto snorted. "For once we are not talking about boobs. Hinata understands me perfectly and supports me perfectly. And I…"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" The young secretary slapped his hands over his ears. "If you are going to tell me about how you fell out of love with your wife, please spare me. Please. I'd feel so sorry for Hinata-san, when she's as big as a house now with the new kid and all…"

"Don't worry. How can you fall out of love with someone who saves you from hitting rock bottom, all the time?" The hokage turned in his seat and looked out the window at Konoha. He murmured, more to himself than the worried Konohamaru behind him, "It'd be simple if I didn't love Hinata. But I do. I do and still a part of me clings to old habits that drive me insane – "

Naruto was so deep in thought that Konohamaru's kick caught him squarely in the face.

"WHAT THE HECK?"

"WHO ARE YOU YOU IMPOSTER!" Konohamaru clutched Naruto by the neck of his hokage robes. "HOW DARE YOU IMPERSONATE NARUTO NII-CHAN WITHOUT A DICK!"

"Okay, I'm really offended now…"

"GET OUT OF THE OFFICE AND GO TALK TO SASUKE NII-CHAN OR HINATA-SAN OR WHOEVER INSTEAD OF GROWING MUSHROOMS HERE! OUT!"

And that's how the hokage was thrown out of the hokage tower by his own secretary.

* * *

"What do you want, pops?" Amoto glowered up at his father, who'd shown up to walk him home from the academy. "And why is there a footprint on your face?"

Naruto coughed. "It's an old battle wound, brat."

"From what battle? Club soccer?"

"Shut up, kid."

"Why aren't you working?" the son looked around. "Where's a freaking out Konohamaru nii-chan?"

The hokage lithely dodged sensitive questions by asking one himself, "Why so late?"

"Aww, was lectured by Iruka sensei for starting a fight." The kid shrugged a shoulder and started trudging homeward.

"What was it about?" Naruto walked alongside the child.

"About not fighting. Duh." Amoto stuck his tongue out at the hokage.

"No, brat, what was the fight about?"

"They…" the child bit his lips, paused, and said instead, "They said they wanted to look up mom's skirt."

"WHAT?" Little fires lit in Naruto's eyes. "I'LL KILL THOSE LITTLE TYKES! WHERE ARE THEY?"

Amoto made a face. "Iruka sensei's going to keep you over too, then. Like last time."

Father and son continued to bicker – until, halfway home, when they ran into Sasuke and Sakura. The three adults froze. Sakura looked at Sasuke; Sasuke looked at Naruto; and Naruto looked at everything but Sasuke. Amoto watched this reaction for two full seconds, before darting in between Sasuke and Sakura and pushing the pink-haired woman away as hard as he could with his unhurt hand.

"I'm going to get revenge on Uchiha-san, so don't interfere," the child snapped, jabbing a finger in the pink-haired woman's face.

"A-amoto-chan?" Sakura put up her hands. "I don't know what you are thinking but why would you want to get revenge on Sasuke-kun...? You must not understand..."

"Oh I understand all right." Amoto glowered with Naruto's eyes and said, "You. You aren't allowed to love him. Not even a little bit. Or you!"

The child whipped about to face his surprised father.

"When I'm strong enough, I'll deal with Uchiha-san so no one's allowed to love him or hate him but ME, all right?"

Amoto's confession was met with a lot less drama than the little boy expected. Instead of getting angry or sad, the old Team Seven broke up into laughter. Real, genuine laughter, that rose from behind their respective grownup shinobi masks.

"You can't even lay a finger on me, brat." Sasuke chuckled. "What are you saying?"

Sakura giggled into her palms. "Do you hate Sasuke-kun or like him? I don't get it, Amoto-chan."

"Where does your rootless confidence come from, Sasu-" Naruto stopped in the middle of using his pet name for his son and darkened a shade. He laughed it off awkwardly. "Come, son. I'll take you training then."

He stopped when Sasuke spoke, a challenge.

"Your teaching is subpar, usurtonkachi." The raven-haired man raised an elegant eyebrow. "You might do more damage than good."

"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TEME?" the hokage snapped. "Ask Amoto, I'm the better teacher."

Even in the heated glares of the two most powerful ninjas in Konoha, Amoto didn't bat an eye - merely confused. "I dunno… pops' teaching style is intense in a stupid way and Uchiha-san's teaching style is intense in a neurotic way?"

"That wasn't the question, brat." Naruto glowered.

"Whose is better?" Sasuke said coolly.

"Mom's," Amoto answered happily.

"Why is your child also a dobe, dobe?" the Uchiha demanded.

"Teme, your cynical personality must have rubbed off on him!"

Sakura watched her old teammates walk away bickering, with a child that could have been theirs marching determinedly in between them, and felt an odd tug in her heart.

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto sat in the low hills as Amoto, tired and dirty from the day's training by two very very competitive ninjas, washed himself at a stream below. The child's half-naked body glowed red in the setting sunlight, his vivid blue eyes flashing in stark contrast. He darted frequent and rather suspicious glances up at the two beautiful men who watched him.

"What an idiot kid," the Uchiha said, almost tenderly.

"He's a lot better than I was at his age," the kitsune replied. "But he's been beating himself up since he understood that he was the first in the Hyuuga clan to be born without Byakugan."

"He got your eyes instead," Sasuke said.

"Exactly." Naruto shrugged. "Hinata was happy about it but…"

"Surprising." The Uchiha smirked. "I can't believe I agree with your bitch wife about something."

"Don't call her 'bitch wife' or I'll beat you up."

"As if you can."

The two men traded glances, glances that they might have traded ten years ago, and looked away immediately because they were both so aware now of how much time had passed since they often shared those looks. It was Naruto who broke the strained silence first, saying in that low, ringing voice Sasuke had remembered most clearly, "Sasuke, we've been rivals, lovers, fellow missing nin… the only thing left we haven't tried was being friends."

"I thought that was what we always were, dobe," the Uchiha scoffed. "On your insistence."

The blond shook his head furiously. "No. We've always been rivals disguised as friends or lovers disguised as friends. Or really obsessed lovers disguised as friends. We've never been just friends."

Sasuke sneered, "I didn't come back to just be friends with you."

"Yeah?" Naruto looked at Sasuke then. If Sasuke had been looking, he might have noticed the glint of guilty desire the blonde was trying desperately to hide by scowling, thinking and making himself believe he was angry, "Then what are we going to do? About Hinata and Sakura? About Amoto? What else can we do?"

Sasuke looked instead at the child shaking the water out of his black hair and shivering like a puppy. Then, the raven-haired man's hand found Naruto's, resting in the grass between them. Naruto's hand flinched back, but Sasuke grabbed the long tan fingers tightly.

Naruto growled, warningly, "Teme…"

"What?" the Uchiha smiled. "Friends hold hands."

Naruto had to return the smile at that. "Yeah? Okay then."

The two men intertwined their fingers and grinned in a silence both uncomfortable and familiar.

_They were not aware of a pair of hostile eyes in the shadows that followed Amoto's movements, as greedily as Sasuke's had when he first saw the child._

_

* * *

_

Author's Note: I'm back from abroad (guess wheeere), so I'll be better about updating from now on (watch out for a _Dead Last_ update soon). So, please, leave a review and let me know what you think/feel/want. Sometimes, I feel, "This is enough. I am done with fanfiction now." Then I read and re-read (and re-read!) some of the amazing reviews I've gotten and think, "It's not enough until it's done and I've heard from these people." So, faithful readers: this story is quickly coming to its climax, so let me know your inputs before it is too late. (Oh, one more thing because several people were asking via email, those eyes are not Itachi's; Itachi died in this fic by Sasuke's hands like he did in the manga, as mentioned in some previous chapter.)

As Always, Much SasuNaru Love, Rosesareblue.


	15. If You Love Me

**Disclaimer:** Naruto is drawn and written by a fantastically splendid, wonderfully cute, and very talented manga artist Masashi Kishimoto. (Obviously, I don't own it.) On top of that, I don't own the songs,_ Give You Back_ by Vertical Horizon and _Missing_ by Evanescence, which inspired this fic.

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the delay. I will try to update UUS next. Now, on with the story!

**In the Previous Chapter:** Amoto is caught between love and hate for his mentor Sasuke, while Naruto and Sasuke attempt to be friends to protect Naruto's son from being hurt. But a mysterious pair of eyes watch Amoto from the shadows and threaten to break even this most precarious arrangement…

**Chapter Fifteen Rating:** NC-17 (don't look kids; it's really sad)

**My E-mail:** rosesareblue at ymail dot com (Write me with any comments, questions, or suggestions. Remember, there's nothing like feedback that improves an author's moral/writing and keeps the chapters coming.)

**Give You Back**

_A SasuNaru Fanfiction_

**by rosesareblue**

_If I bleed_

_I'll bleed_

_Knowing you don't care_

Missing by Evanescence

**Chapter Fifteen: If You Love Me**

Uzumaki Hinata caught her own reflection in the kitchen window as she waddled towards her boiling tea and blushed at the awkward figure she made. In the advanced stages of her pregnancy, everything she did was clumsy and loud; she was now totally unfit to be a ninja, having been removed from her medical nin assignments months ago. But as she settled down with her tea, decaffeinated of course, and rested a slim hand on her enormous stomach, she reflected on how she liked being a mother much better than being a ninja.

"Liking" and "being capable", unfortunately, didn't come hand in hand. Earlier that day, she'd gone to Tsunade-sama for a checkup and had admitted a secret fear, which had been wrecking havoc on her mind for the last three weeks: Her second child would be a girl. She's told Tsunade-sama, Naruto-kun, Amoto that it'd be a son because, well, because Hinata had believed it then. But now, she felt as though she'd believed it because she'd long been scared it weren't true. And, confirming her fears, her current symptoms were very different from this stage of her pregnancy with Amoto. And, really, how could you be sure on feelings and not a proper medical checkup. It could be a girl, it could be a girl…

Hinata feared a daughter, because a daughter might not be like Naruto at all. A daughter might be a little Hinata in all her weaknesses. And when Naruto left her for Sasuke, and maybe even her son would also leave her to pursue the raven-haired man he might have been named after, Hinata would have nothing to remind her of the precious ten years she and her love had shared.

It wasn't even a question of loving the child, because Hinata loved the unborn baby in her belly so utterly that it brought tears into her eyes just thinking of it. But, because of that overwhelming love, all the more reason for Hinata to be afraid! What if Hinata couldn't protect the child? With Naruto and Amoto gone, what if Hinata couldn't protect a weak child because she herself grew weaker?

Tsunade-sama had been gentle but curt in her scolding. Hinata had to be strong, there was no argument. She'd just have to make sure she wasn't weak. Period. Tsunade-sama had said she said this not because she was speaking to Hinata, but because she would say this to any mother. A mother had to be strong, no excuses, and protect her precious ones. That strength she couldn't borrow from anyone. Not her husband. Especially not her children.

Hinata sipped her tea quietly, though her slim white hand trembled slightly, thinking about Tsunade-sama's words and waiting for Naruto and Amoto to come home. Soon enough, there was a clatter in the front hall, and her men's simultaneous cries of "WE'RE HOME!" Amoto flew into the kitchen, hugged his mother around the neck, and scampered off to change for dinner, sniffing the air like a puppy and screaming "POTATOES", all in a matter of two seconds. Naruto was much slower to appear to greet her and by this and the grin that didn't reach his eyes, Hinata knew that he'd been with Uchiha Sasuke.

Hinata braced herself against the painful fear of abandonment and the pangs of hatred for the raven-haired man. These emotions rose in her, hurt her, then died down. Only then did she rise to embrace her husband without even the slightest hint of resentment. She did this, she told herself for the millionth time, all this for Naruto and Naruto alone; it had nothing to do with Sasuke. For Naruto to be at ease, for Naruto's happiness, Hinata would play the fool a million times. She had to be strong. She had promised to be strong.

"We have nikujaga for dinner," she said and Naruto flinched.

"I… I love nikujaga," the hokage replied, very, very guiltily.

"I know." Hinata found herself laughing, really laughing, as her husband's face contorted into that of a child's, with his hand caught in the cookie jar. "You can have some, even if you were slacking off from work with Uchiha-san and Amoto."

The guilt in Naruto's eyes intensified tenfold. "How-how did you know…?"

Hinata smiled. "There's nothing I don't know about you, Naruto-kun. And don't be silly. Why would I be angry if you take a break from work to spend time with your friend and your son? I only feel bad for Konohamaru-kun stuck with the paperwork…"

With that, the hokage's wife tried to rise from her chair to tend to dinner and failed due to the weight of her body. She blushed dark red and, mortified, reached out her hands for Naruto's help. Naruto laughed, pulling her up into his embrace that lasted longer than it needed to.

"I don't deserve you, Hinata-chan," he whispered.

She hugged him tightly, letting herself be saved by Naruto's words again. "I should be saying that to you, Naruto-kun."

He finally let her go with an awkward laugh, announcing, "Wait, you sit back down. I'll finish making dinner."

As Naruto clattered about and broke things in the kitchen, Hinata watched his back.

Finally, she made herself call over to him, "I was wrong… I think our second child will be a daughter."

"EH?" The blond upset a container in his surprise and its contents fell into the stove, causing the meat and potatoes to burst into flames. "OH SHIT!"

Amoto, who'd appeared in the kitchen just in time to hear his mother's big news, yelled out in despair, "SAVE THE NIKUJAGA DAD! FOR THE SAKE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD IN THE WORLD, SAVE THE FOOD!"

Naruto instantly performed a water element jutsu that extinguished the flames.

"IDIOT POPS! I SAID SAVE IT! NOT FLOOD IT!" the son wailed, as he and Naruto mourned the soggy remains of their dinner.

At last, the blonde poked the mess. "Maybe it's still edible?"

"Hopefully…" Amoto said. "If we put sauce on it?"

"Wait, this isn't important. Hinata-chan, did Tsunade baa-chan say something?" the kitsune asked his quietly amused wife. Amoto stared at his mother with round inquiring blue eyes as well, mirroring his father's face.

"No." The dark-haired woman shook her head. "It's different from when I was pregnant with Amoto… so I just thought… and…" Hinata ducked her head, too ashamed to look up. "I am worried she won't be like you at all, Naruto-kun, and be a weak shinobi and coward like me."

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" the hokage leapt to his feet. "A girl, huh? That's great! She'll be the first real female hokage – since Tsunade baa-chan only looks like female."

"Okaaaaaaaa-chan," Amoto drawled. "If my little sister looks like pops, she'll be _butt ugly_. She has to look like you or it's such a waste!"

"A daughter, huh? I always wanted a daughter after we failed in having a cute child when we got Amoto."

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK IDIOT POPS!"

"See, not cute at all."

Both Uzumakis, head locking one another rather cheerfully, were shocked when Hinata burst into tears. She hugged her belly, hugged her unborn child, and wept because, though she didn't know the child yet, Hinata loved her so much that she was more afraid than she'd ever been in her life for its safety and wellbeing… its happiness. If Naruto stayed with her and this child, Hinata would protect her daughter with everything she had. If Naruto left, Hinata would still protect her with everything. Nothing would change. She would love her unborn daughter, through her very fears and insecurities. As a mother should. As only a mother could.

Having no way of knowing this, father and son bared their teeth at each other.

"Brat," Naruto growled. "How dare you threaten your mother of having butt ugly children!"

"I said only if she looks like you!" Amoto yelled. "And I think okaa-chan's crying because you murdered her nikujaga!"

Uzumaki Hinata wiped her tears and acted the peacemaker once again. "I didn't want to do the dishes anyway. Let's go out to eat?"

As Naruto took up one hand and Amoto took up another, Hinata let herself be led along and thought, "Enough. This should be enough."

* * *

Nara Marika stood at the edge of the clearing and watched her classmate Uzumaki Amoto chase after the raven-haired man that everybody in Konoha feared. Marika was a little bit scared of him too – unlike the other adults who were her father's friends, this man whose name they said was Uchiha-san never stopped to pet her on the head, smile at her, or bother to ask where the little genius was going. Instead, he seemed to look right through her with blood red eyes, his face always dark, his voice always silent.

So she had asked her father about him, over one of their games of shogi, "Should I be afraid of Uchiha-san?"

And her father, who she believed knew everything in the world and was smartest ninja ever born (even if a tad bit lazy), said, "Is Marika afraid of loneliness and loss?"

Her mother had shouted from the kitchen, over the vindictive chopping of vegetables, "What kind of emo words are you saying to our innocent child, Shikamaru? You want me to go out there with this knife, huh?"

But Marika admired her father for never treating her like a baby and telling her things straight up. Even now, muttering about how women were scary, Shikamaru waited for his daughter's answer. So she said, without hesitation, "Of course. Everyone is afraid of loneliness and loss."

"That's why the villagers fear the Uchiha, because they think he embodies both things. But in truth," Shikamaru paused. "In truth, he's just trapped. You must not feel sorry for him though, Marika. To be forever trapped by loneliness and loss and still remain alive, only a true shinobi can pull it off."

The rest of the conversation had been cut off by his mother appearing with the kitchen knife and chasing her husband around the lawn.

Try as she might though (because when was her father ever wrong – except when he argued with her mother?), Marika hadn't been able to throw off being a tiny bit scared of the red-eyed stranger. The little girl found her own irrationality unacceptable, so she liked to watch Amoto with Uchiha-san. When Amoto was near him, he wasn't so scary after all.

"So just how strong were you when you were my age?" Amoto ran after Sasuke as he crossed the clearing. "Tell me exactly, like what jutsus you could do and stuff."

The raven-haired man gently pushed the child away, but Amoto was already hanging on his sleeve.

"Come oooooooon, Uchiha-san? How am I supposed to know I'm going to be able to kick your ass or not if I don't have this suuuuuuuuper important informatiooon?"

"Listen, brat," the raven-haired man had growled in a voice surprisingly not angry. "What kind of ninja asks the enemy upright for information?"

"Well, if the enemy tells me, and I tell him, then we can fight fair and square, right?"

A chuckle. "You are not cut out to be a shinobi. You're too foolish."

"Uchihaaaaaaa-saaaaaaaaan datteba! Just tell meeeeeeeeee!"

Finally, Sasuke managed to unattach the child from his sleeve (he hadn't been trying too hard, else he could avoid the clutching white hands easily) and said, "I have a mission from the dumbass hokage. You run along and play with your other brat friends. Look, she's waiting for you."

Marika felt the red eyes on her. Fighting a flutter in her stomach, she walked a little into the clearing and bowed her head politely to the raven-haired man. If the Uchiha was even the slightest bit surprised at receiving a fearless greeting from such a tiny village child, he didn't show it – disappearing at once with a quick ruffle of Amoto's hair, leaving Amoto pouting at his departure.

"Hi Amoto," the brown-haired girl said, approaching the sulking boy.

Amoto turned to see the familiar dark green eyes of his classmate and instantly his feral grin returned. "Hi Marika-chan! Sorry, I was doing real important avenger stuff so I didn't sense your presence like I normally could, ya know?"

"Avenger stuff?" Shikamaru's daughter blinked her pretty eyes and put her hands on her hips. "Explain."

"Oh, well, Uchiha-san is super strong so only I can match his strength and not my weak weak pops, who's only hokage because I'm still too young. I'm training hard so I can become Uchiha-san's equal because everyone else is too chickenshit and afraid of him when he's not even that mean on the inside. I am a gonna fight him for making my mom cry."

Not calling the boy out on his obvious lies, Marika asked instead, "Why do you need to fight him for? If he's not really mean?"

"Revenge."

"That sounds too troublesome to me," Marika replied with a toss of her head.

"That's cos you are a girl and don't understand important stuff about war," Amoto scoffed.

"I get better grades on tests than you," the girl replied.

Amoto rolled his eyes. "Only when you stay awake during them. Which only happened twice. Plus, a ninja's all about the awesome jutsus… hey! Come with me and I'll show you this fire element jutsu that Uchiha-san taught me. He doesn't know it yet, but I've almost perfected it."

With that, Naruto's son pulled Shikamaru's daughter after him into the woods… not sensing the pair of glowing eyes that followed.

* * *

"You weren't lying for once," Marika said, looking up at the singed leaves of the trees surrounding Amoto's secret training grounds. "I've never seen that jutsu before."

"Heh heh." Amoto chuckled, glad to have received praise from someone who so rarely gives it. Marika was known throughout the academy for being the hardest kunoichi to impress, since nothing seemed to capture her interest for long (other than shogi and her father's words). "Still not good enough to show Uchiha-san yet. I want it to be perfect."

"Ne, Amoto," the intuitive little girl pressed. "Do you really hate Uchiha-san?"

"Of course!" the blue-eyed boy clenched his fists. "I want to kick his ass!"

The girl, not entirely convinced, asked, "Do you also love Uchiha-san? You are with him every day."

At that plain observation, Amoto seemed taken aback. It was a bit before he recovered, screaming as if that'd hide his blush, "Of course not! He doesn't have a family so I just tag around to make sure he's not lonely and stuff… I do hate him! I do! But sometimes… hating feels the same as… that other thing…"

"Do you feel sorry for him?" Marika said.

"No! Uchiha-san is a great shinobi! Maybe the best in Konoha," Amoto yelled, angry that she had to even ask.

"How deeply ironic that a descendent of the Senju clan so highly acknowledges the last descendent of my clan, when it is by his doing that Sasuke no longer returns to darkness."

The two children jumped upon hearing the cold voice as a masked man pulled from the shadows of trees. He was the only shinobi currently alive who could have snuck into Konoha without Naruto's or Sasuke's sensing him. Amoto noted that his one visible eye was the same shade of red as Uchiha-san's and immediately got between the stranger and his friend.

"Who are you? This is Konoha territory and you aren't allowed on it!" Amoto yelled, spreading his slender arms as if to shield Marika.

The red eye flashed, amused, annoyed. "Have I, the greatest of my clan, fallen so low as to be spoken to in such a way by a mere brat?"

"Get out of here, Marika!" Amoto shouted, shoving the girl before turning to the tall stranger and putting a hand to his lips.

"KATON GOKAKYU NO JUTSU!"

It was the surprise of that particular attack, the trademark of the Uchiha clan, coming from a descendent of Senju more than its having the slightest effect that stopped the masked man from murdering the fleeing Marika. Amoto tried to run too, now that he'd created the diversion for his friend, but it was a miracle that he'd gotten even her out safely.

The masked man descended on him, hissing, "Come, child of Senju, I'll teach you true revenge. I'll show you the real power of the Uchiha clan and why your kind should never dare to mimic it…"

* * *

Hinata, with the helping arms of a giggling Sakura and a joking Ino, was attempting to take a walk around Konoha when she saw a familiar brunette girl racing towards them from a distance.

"Marika-chan!" the pearly eyed woman waved. "Do you know where my Amoto – "

"Hyuuga-san!" the little girl wailed, red-faced and bawling, "He-help! A missing nin's got Amoto!"

Though Marika said more, Hinata didn't hear it. Already, she was struggling in the direction the child had come; Sakura and Ino could barely keep her back.

"No, let me go to my baby, Amoto, Amoto!"

"You're going to be no help, Hinata!" Sakura yelled, "You can't aid him in your state! Ino – get Naruto! Get Naruto! Marika, tell me exactly where you saw this man!'

As Ino disappeared at once, Hinata broke free of Sakura's grasp and tried to move at a pace her pregnant body wouldn't allow, suddenly feeling a contraction go through her but gritting her teeth against crying out. Sakura didn't wait for the desperate mother, disappearing into the foreboding woods as Marika's shrill crying seemed to echo throughout Konoha.

* * *

It was impossible to tell who broke into the clearing first, Naruto or Sasuke. The Uchiha had been going over mission statements with the hokage when Ino appeared. The two men heard only "Amoto" and "missing nin" before both had exploded out of the office, leaving the blonde girl to organize backup. Amoto's trail had been too easy to follow – clumps of pink hair marked the way into the woods and, sure enough, they found Sakura bloody and barely conscious on the forest floor. Squatting over her was Uchiha Madara with Amoto on his knee, a kunai pressed against the thin stalk of the child's white neck.

"DAD! DADDY!" Amoto's cry instantly muted to a whimper when the ancient ninja jerked his head back, the kunai drawing a spot of blood.

"GET OFF HIM!"

"FIGHT ME INSTEAD!"

Madara ignored Sasuke and Naruto, gesturing at Sakura. "She's alive. You see, she's needed. She'll be witness to my murder."

Naruto jerked forward on raw instinct, reared in by Sasuke when Madara's grip on the kunai tightened. The father was positively trembling in the raven-haired man's hard grip.

"What do you want?" the kitsune cried. "Let the child go, and I will do whatever you want – let the child go. Only let him go."

"You've done enough, Uzumaki Naruto, heir of Senju." Madara gritted out, before turning a bloodshot eye on Sasuke. "My business is with my kin."

"Release the boy." Sasuke's face contorted, possessed by pure hatred. "If you harm him, I swear I will make you beg for death – "

"Ah, if only you had let that anger consume you before," Madara's voice lightened, "I wouldn't have had to bother with children to help you change your mind, Sasuke."

"You are a dead man," the younger Uchiha barked, holding back from charging Amoto's captor himself only because he was holding onto Naruto. "Half of Konoha is approaching and only you could have hidden your presence so well from me. I sense no one else. You are alone and you will die. I will make sure of it. Release Amoto, and I'll at least make it a quick death."

"Do you think me a fool?" Madara taunted. "Why would I, who has nothing left, not embrace my death - once I've had my last victory?"

With that, he kicked Sakura's head so that she was facing the two men. She could barely groan, but she was still blinking back her tears of pain. Proud and angry.

Naruto balled his fist and growled, "Teme, I'm gonna – "

"Silence, or your son is gone." Madara's voice came sharp and harsh. "I will only free him if Sasuke… ah, Sasuke, Sasuke…"

Madara's bloodshot eye glinted.

"Sasuke," he ordered, "kill the heir of Senju, while the woman and the child watches. If you want the child to be free, kill Naruto now."

The sharp and harsh voice seemed to ring. A team of anbu burst into the clearing, withdrawing to the edges as they took in the scene. Sakura sputtered up blood; Amoto squealed against the blade point. Then, the world seemed to stop, politely, for one Uchiha Sasuke and one Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto was the first to move. He wasn't trembling anymore, steeled with a cool determination. Deftly, almost gracefully, he flicked out a kunai and held it out to his once lover, his once obsession, his very best friend.

"Sasuke…"

The young blond god's eyes looked like heaven as they gazed into raven-haired man's.

"Sasuke…"

The voice that uttered his name contrasted sharply with Madara's and was strong and beautiful, just like all those years ago.

"If you love me, if you ever loved me, please, please…"

Naruto drew himself close, so Sasuke could feel the very breath of the kitsune's most desperate plea.

**"Please kill me."**

* * *

Author's Note: Reviews are always appreciated. Please let me know what you think before this story reaches its very eventful end. Thanks always for reading.


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